


Of dates, sleepovers and talks...

by LeeGale



Series: Ad lunam, ut amica, ut mi stultus [20]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: (Not), ... - Freeform, Angst, But also, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, Cute boys, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Hehehe, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I may have cried writing this, I'm Sorry, M/M, RIP, Sad bois, Sojiro is best dad, Suicide Attempt Mention, Suicide mention, but the end, just a little bit, most of it's not that sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25505848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeGale/pseuds/LeeGale
Summary: Mishima and Akira have a sleepover and their first date. But, not everything is always happy...
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Mishima Yuuki, Kawakami Sadayo/Takemi Tae, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Mishima Yuuki, Mishima Yuuki/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Ad lunam, ut amica, ut mi stultus [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695079
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Of dates, sleepovers and talks...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry this took so long! It may or may not be the longest one-shot I've ever written... And I didn't have wifi for a few days, so oof. I hope you enjoy!

For the next few days, Mishima was unable to visit Akira at LeBlanc, too busy with school and his extracurricular activities and trying to find another job. They did text and call though, almost always in contact with each other. However, when Saturday rolled around, that changed...

As soon as school let out on Saturday, Mishima caught the first train he could, rushing home to drop off his school stuff. He showered and changed quickly, picked up what he needed and headed back out... It didn't take the teen long to get to LeBlanc, and he soon found himself working. Akira was at the counter as he waited for Mishima to do his shift, happily chatting away to Futaba as Boss and Mishima made some curry...

"Hey, Yuuki?" Futaba's voice called, distracting the bluenette in question from where he'd been cleaning a knife. He hummed to show her she had his attention, and the girl continued, "When do you plan on kissing Akira?"

That made Mishima blush brightly, but he shoved his feelings away as he stuttered out, "Wh... When we're both ready for that."

"Ship it," Futaba muttered, but Mishima was a little distracted with Akira, who was watching him closely... The couple stared at each other, blushing, for a long moment, right until Boss sighed and told them to go talk in Akira's room. As soon as the words were out, the boys put down what they were holding and rushed upstairs, both blushing even brighter when Futaba jokingly whooped at them. As soon as they were both in Akira's room, Mishima found himself with an armful of smiling boyfriend...

"Uh... Akira?" he asked quietly, hugging Akira back to the best of his ability. The taller teen just mumbled something about needing a minute, so Mishima fell silent, shutting his eyes and just basking in Akira's presence until the taller teen was ready to speak... Which he did, eventually, with his face still hidden in Mishima's neck.

"I... It just means a lot to me. That you're willing to wait until I'm ready..." Akira whispered, and Mishima ignored how his heart skipped a beat at the soft brush of Akira's lips against his neck in favour of smiling and replying quietly.

"Of course I'm willing to wait, Akira," he all but breathed, softly stroking Akira's back with his good hand, "I... I don't want to pressure you into anything, ever..."

Akira's lips curled up into a smile (which is something Mishima only knew because he was still so close to his neck) before he pulled away. For a split-second, Mishima mourned the loss of his boyfriend's heat (it was winter, okay? And it was cold... Even if Mishima actually rarely felt the cold...) but he soon found himself being pulled over to Akira's bed. He made a small, confused noise, only to be pushed onto the bed and find himself with a lapful of Akira. At first, he had no idea what was happening, but he was quick to figure it out, wrapping his good arm around Akira and softly asking, "I... What?"

"I... I want... Um..." Akira stuttered, the confidence he'd displayed just moments before shattering. Mishima hated seeing Akira (who was usually so cool and strong and comfortable with himself) look so... nervous for his reaction, so he smiled sweetly, encouragingly, and created soothing patterns on his back. It took a couple of minutes for Akira to relax, almost melting into Mishima as he whispered, "I... Um... Cuddles?"

Mishima didn't bother to reply verbally, just shifting them both until he could comfortably lean against the wall with Akira still in his lap. The taller teen seemed to get the memo, adjusting how he was sat so his side was tucked into Mishima's chest, his legs tossed onto his bed and his arms curled around his bluenette boyfriend's waist... Once they were settled, Mishima rested his chin on Akira's head (which felt kinda weird because Akira was taller than him, but eh. He was curled up small, so it was comfortable...). It was silent for a long moment before Mishima forced himself to speak up, voice soft as he all but whispered, "You don't need to be nervous when asking for anything you want from me, okay Akira? Especially not c... cuddles."

"Why especially not cuddles?" Akira asked quietly, unable to see Mishima's blush from where his face was hidden in the front of the bluenette's neck (which was, kinda, uncomfortable because dammit those soft lips...). For a split-second, Mishima hesitated, blushing even brighter, but he knew he needed to say it. So they were both more comfortable in the long run...

"Because there's only a very small chance I'd ever say no to cuddles," he replied, squeezing Akira closer to himself, "Be... Because I like them a lot too..."

Akira remained silent, but the way he smiled against Mishima's neck gave the bluenette the response he needed, and they both relaxed... Mishima couldn't help but shut his eyes, smiling into Akira's hair... Unfortunately, though, it was freezing cold in the attic, and Akira soon started to shiver. When he did, Mishima found himself reacting on instinct, carefully moving until they could both lie down and grabbing Akira's blanket to the best of his ability. Akira seemed to get with the program, helping out and making sure they were both comfortably wrapped in the blanket. Of course, there was the issue of Mishima's broken arm, which meant he couldn't lie on his left side, so they were away from the pillows (Mishima had just sort of flopped onto his side), but they were comfy... At least, Mishima was, but the way he shifted said that Akira wasn't... Until he flipped onto his right side too, curling up small with his back pressed to Mishima's chest...

They were spooning. Holy shit, they were spooning... Mishima's mind completely shut down for a long moment, but he forced it to reboot as he did his best to slip his arm under Akira and pull him close... The taller teen made it easier by leaning up slightly, and Mishima settled quickly, curling his good arm around Akira's waist and pulling the younger teen back into his chest tighter. It was... warm. Not just physically, but it started a small fire in Mishima's heart. He was safe here, with Akira... They were both safe and okay and not dead-

Nope, he was not going to go down that path. Not when he had Akira in his arms and they'd officially confessed nearly a week ago and when they were both  _ happy _ ... Mishima sighed to himself, nuzzling the back of Akira's head fondly. That earned him a sound not too dissimilar to a purr... Akira tensed when he realised what sound he'd made, but Mishima was slightly dying of cuteness... That was just... Ah! Mishima had to take a deep, grounding breath before nuzzling Akira's hair again, smiling and whispering, "You're adorable..."

Akira made a small, embarrassed noise at that, but didn't pull away. Rather, he moved even closer to Mishima, practically melting into him... That made Mishima's heart almost burst, and he relaxed too. Distantly, he remembered that he was  _ technically _ supposed to be working, but he was comfortable and happy and he could make it up to Boss some other time... With that, Mishima lost track of the rest of the world, entirely focused on his breathtakingly amazing boyfriend...

-=-=-=-=-=

** "Yuuki?" Akira's pained voice echoed through the darkness. Mishima turned, trying to find the source. It was too dark... He couldn't see... He- **

** "Oi! Bitch!" blinding pain made Mishima scream as he was yanked back by his hair. That painfully familiar voice made Mishima freeze before he could release any other noises. If he was quiet, Kamoshida was nicer... **

** "Yuuki! You fucking faggot!" Mishima's parents yelled in sync as Kamoshida shoved Mishima down, punching and kicking him without remorse... The teen tried to fight but found himself being thrown against a wall and stuck there, completely unable to move... As he was surrounded, drowned, tortured by Kamoshida and his parents, Mishima managed to glance up, only to freeze at what he saw. Akira... The taller teen was pale and had a single, bloody hole in his head, his eyes completely lifeless... Akira watched, ignorant to Mishima's pleas and tears and- **

"Yuuki? C'mon... It's okay, Yuuki..." a soft voice drew Mishima back to the world of the living, although the teen did tense and reach for the knife he kept under his pillow (he'd moved it there after he was kidnapped). Except he wasn't on a pillow. And there was no knife... The vulnerability he felt at that realization forced Mishima upright, eyes opening as he got ready to fight. As soon as he registered where he was, though, his will to fight drained from him. Akira watched him, concerned, before softly asking, "Are you okay?"

Mishima made a shaky, broken noise, falling forward so his head landed on Akira's lap. The taller teen tensed before relaxing, carding a gentle hand through Mishima's hair as he whispered soothing encouragements... Neither moved from their position for a long moment, but Mishima did fly up ready for a fight when he heard a soft voice call, "Is... Is everything okay? There was screaming..."

At the sight of Futaba, Mishima forced his racing heart to calm down, dropping his good arm from the defensive position it had entered without his consent... He took a deep, shaky breath before stuttering out, "I... S... Sorry. I had a ni... nightmare..."

That just made Futaba frown, but when she stepped further into the room, Mishima flinched so violently she stopped. When he realised what he'd done, the bluenette shut his eyes tight, performing a few breathing exercises until his heartrate was more regular, before reopening them and muttering, "I... Sorry..."

"It... It's okay, Yuuki," Futaba stated, smiling just the slightest bit, reassuring, "Um... I'll go tell Sojiro there's nothing to worry about, and you two stay up here until you're okay to come down, Yuuki..."

Mishima was tempted to argue, to say he was fine, but he couldn't. Instead, he hummed a note of agreement, letting his head fall back onto Akira's lap. He heard Futaba leave down the stairs, but he paid her no mind, preferring to focus on Akira and the fact that they were  _ safe _ and  _ together _ and Mishima's parents were  _ dead _ and Kamoshida was  _ in prison _ and none of them could hurt him anymore-

"Do you want to talk about it?" Akira asked softly, and Mishima shook his head. Akira didn't need to know about what had happened and what Kamoshida had done and-

Akira carefully moving Mishima made his thoughts shut up, but he didn't really pay much attention to what Akira was actually doing. He didn't care, as long as they were together and safe... Eventually, Akira settled, lying down, pulling Mishima onto his chest and curling his arms around the older teen. There, in Akira's arms, warm and  _ safe _ , Mishima felt so small... But not like how he usually felt small. He felt cared for and protected and like he  _ deserved _ to be happy... That made the tears start, rolling down his cheeks, fat and ugly... He couldn't remember ever feeling so loved, feeling like he belonged so much, feeling so precious... His shoulders shook as he let himself cry. Usually, the mere  _ thought _ of acting so  _ weak _ around anyone would terrify him, but Akira was safe. Akira was warmth and fondness and love... Akira was- talking? He seemed to be muttering something... Mishima forced himself to focus on Akira's voice, happiness bubbling under his skin when he realised what the other teen was saying...

"You're okay Yuuki. I've got you... You're safe... I won't let anyone hurt you again, okay? It's okay... You're safe here. I'll protect you, no matter what... I've got you. I'm here for you. Always..." Akira murmured, carefully petting Mishima's hair. Those words... They made Mishima melt. He knew he didn't actually deserve any of it, Akira's affections or attention or care, but God, he was going to hold onto it until Akira left him... Eventually, the tears subsided, leaving Mishima to just listen to his boyfriend. Akira didn't stop his soft, loving words, talking until Mishima pulled away from him slightly. He didn't go far, just moved enough to look Akira in the eyes...

"I... Thank you..." the bluenette breathed, smiling just the slightest bit. Akira smiled back, reaching up and cupping Mishima's cheek. The older teen sighed, shutting his eyes and leaning into the touch. He didn't deserve it, but he craved the affection so much...

"You don't need to thank me, Yuuki. You'd do the same for me..." Akira whispered, and Mishima made a noise of agreement. He really would... They stayed like that, Mishima happy to just bask in his boyfriend's presence as said boyfriend wiped away his tears with his thumb... Of course, they did have to move eventually, but they only did when Boss called for them to have dinner. The couple parted, getting up from the bed and heading downstairs. They took turns in the bathroom, cleaning up before settling into the booth Futaba was sat in, opposite the ginger girl. She was visibly concerned, but Mishima sent her a small, reassuring smile before changing the topic, asking what plans she had for the following day. Futaba visibly hesitated before smiling back and replying.

"Ann and I are going to hang out at her place! She has a movie she wants to watch, and she needs a girl talk," she stated, tucking into her curry as soon as Sojiro set it down in front of her. Mishima made an interested noise, smiling slightly at Sojiro when he put a plate in front of him too. As Futaba began to ramble about the movie she and Takamaki planned on watching, Sojiro gave Akira his food and, surprisingly, sat next to Futaba to eat. It... It almost felt like a family dinner... The thought almost startled Mishima, but it was true. He... They were the closest thing he had to a family... They-

"What are your plans for tomorrow, you two?" Sojiro suddenly asked, a hint of mischief in his eyes, catching Mishima's attention. The teen blushed slightly, hesitating, so Akira had the chance to speak before him.

"Yuuki said he had something planned..." Akira stated, looking up from his food and looking at Mishima, who hesitated. He wanted to keep it a secret...

"Um... That's a secret..." he muttered, earning a small, playful complaint from Akira. That made Mishima relax, rolling his eyes fondly as he flicked Akira's thigh and continued, "Oh shush... It'll be fun! But I wanna surprise you..."

Futaba piped up, smirking at the pair as she teased, "A surprise date, huh? That's pretty romantic..."

Mishima blushed brightly at that, ducking his head shyly. Akira blushed too, embarrassed and uncomfortable... Mishima hated seeing Akira feel uneasy, so he forced himself to reply, "We... Well, it'll be our first date, s... so I want to make it special for Akira."

Akira made a small, pained noise at that, smiling slightly as he tucked his head into Mishima's shoulder. The bluenette was worried for a split-second, terrified he'd messed up already, but Akira mumbling under his breath calmed him.

"I... You have no right to be so sweet," Akira all but whined, and Mishima  _ melted  _ at that. Akira was just adorable... He told Akira as much, earning another pained noise, but he could feel how Akira smiled against him, so he counted that as a win... Futaba cooed at them, so Mishima flipped her off as he nuzzled Akira's hair. The bespectacled teen purred at that, melting into Mishima as the bluenette gently stroked his back. For a long moment, they remained like that, happy to just cuddle, but eventually Akira pulled away, muttering, "We should probably finish eating..."

Mishima made a small, displeased noise, but didn't argue. He did pout as he returned to his meal, a fact that made Akira chuckle. Mishima glared at him playfully, but they all fell silent as they finished eating...

As soon as everyone was done eating, Sojiro said he and Futaba needed to head home. Mishima and Akira agreed easily, sharing a quick look as Sojiro and Futaba got ready to go. When the other two left, the couple would be completely alone... Before leaving, Sojiro called for Mishima to talk to him outside quickly. The bluenette shared a concerned look with Akira and Futaba before following Sojiro silently... Once they were both outside, Sojiro sighed, focusing on Mishima and fixing him with a cool look. The teen shifted, uncomfortable, but didn't speak...

"What are your intentions towards Akira?" Sojiro asked suddenly, voice low. Mishima hesitated, trying to figure out what he could say, before deciding that speaking from the heart was his best option...

"Care for him however he'll let me," the teen stated, earning an eyebrow raise and questioning hum, "I... I care about him. A lot... I just... I want him to be happy... And he's decided that I make him happy, miraculously, so I want to do whatever I can to make sure he stays that way. It's what he deserves..."

"What do you want from your relationship?" Sojiro pressed, crossing his arms. Again, Mishima hesitated. There were so many things he wanted... But he wouldn't dare ask for any of it until Akira said he wanted it too.

"I... I just want to be with Akira, however he'll let me..." Mishima replied, quiet, "I... I just want to make him happy..."

Sojiro seemed to consider Mishima for a long moment, eyeing the teen carefully, before he sighed and stated, "Kid, your relationship should be about both of you. Not just Akira... So what do you really want? Other than to make him happy."

Mishima paused. What... What did he really want? To be honest, he'd never expected to get this far, so he was willing to take whatever Akira offered him... Biting his lip, the teen sighed before replying, "I... I just want him to know I care. It may be weird, but... I just want him to be happy, really. His happiness makes me happy, especially if I'm the reason he feels that way... I... I've never had many reasons to be happy, but seeing Akira smile, hearing him laugh, watching him have fun? That... That makes me happier than you can imagine..."

"What about sex?" Sojiro pressed, and Mishima blushed brightly. As much as he  _ didn't _ want to talk to Akira's  _ guardian _ about sex, he knew that Sojiro was asking out of concern for Akira (which, really, made Mishima happy. It was good that Akira had someone who cared so much), so he had to answer...

"I... Of course I want to have sex with Akira," Mishima stated bluntly (earning a raised eyebrow from Sojiro), "but I don't want to do anything he doesn't want to. He... He said he wants to take our relationship slowly, so that's what we're doing. He... He deserves the world, and I can't give him that, but I will do anything I can to make sure he'd happy and never uncomfortable or uneasy about our relationship..."

Sojiro remained silent for a moment, examining Mishima, but the teen didn't falter. He needed to prove himself to the older man... Eventually, Sojiro huffed, amused, and muttered, "Geeze, kid, you're too damn good for him..."

"It's the other way around," Mishima said without a thought, earning himself another huff. Sojiro smiled slightly at him, but his expression quickly became serious again.

"If you hurt him, I know where you live," the threat was palpable but, surprisingly, it just made Mishima happy. He was glad Sojiro cared so much... He didn't say that aloud, obviously, preferring to say he understood. Sojiro nodded and spoke again, although this time he was a little... softer as he stated, "And kid? Tell me if  _ he  _ hurts  _ you _ , okay? I know you've got your whole 'I can handle anything' shtick, but tell me if he hurts you..."

Mishima blinked in surprise at that. He... Why would Sojiro care? The only adult who had ever cared about him was Kawakami, and even she didn't put much effort in (not that she didn't want to. Mishima just didn't let her...). Plus, she actually had a familial investment in Mishima! Sojiro had no such thing! So why did he care? Why did he-

"Despite what you think, Mishima, you're a good kid. And you've already been through so much... You don't deserve anyone else hurting you," Sojiro spoke up, answering Mishima's silent questions. The teen eyed him, wary, but there wasn't even the slightest hint of a lie... A wave of emotions crested, drowning, swallowing, suffocating Mishima. He... He didn't deserve Akira or Sojiro's kindness or any of it, yet they offered it like he was worthy and they acted like they cared and they made him feel special and-

"Woah! Don't cry!" Sojiro jumped at the sudden tears, and Mishima rubbed his eyes, already apologising.

"I... Shit, I'm sorry... I just... N... I'm n... not used to anyone being so  _ kind _ , le... let alone an ad... adult..." he stuttered, wiping away his tears. Sojiro didn't seem like he knew what to say to that, preferring to just awkwardly rub Mishima's shoulder. But that was good enough for the teen, who forced himself together before continuing shyly, "I...  _ Thank you... _ I... I'm glad Akira has someone like you to look out for him..."

Sojiro huffed, amused, and shook his head, muttering, "Yeah, well. Get him out here. I need to talk to him too..."

Mishima nodded, rubbing his face one more time before reentering LeBlanc. As soon as he did, he found Akira stood in front of him, frowning and cupping his cheeks. The sudden proximity made Mishima's breath catch, but his attention was quickly stolen but Akira's concerned tone as he asked, "Are you okay? Why... Why does it look like you were crying? Did Sojiro upset you or-"

"I... I'm okay," Mishima cut in before Akira could work himself into a tizzy, cupping his hands over the ones on his cheeks, "I... He didn't upset me. He... To be honest? I just got overwhelmed by how  _ nice _ he was being to me. I promise..."

Akira didn't look convinced, so Mishima smiled slightly and pressed a soft kiss to the palm of his left hand, repeating the action to the other hand before whispering, "I promise, I'm good. He just... he asked me about my intentions with you, then threatened me in case I hurt you -and don't get angry, he just cares about you. He didn't mean it in a bad way- and... And he said that I had to tell him if you ever hurt me... Which kinda overwhelmed me, since... Well, you know my track record with adults..."

Akira continued to look worried (despite the blush that dusted his cheeks because of Mishima's hand kisses), so Mishima sighed. He hesitated for a split-second before leaning up on his tiptoes, pressing his forehead to Akira's as he whispered, "I promise, I'd tell you if he hurt me or upset me or scared me, okay?"

Akira hesitated for a long moment, but he eventually shut his eyes against the intense look in Mishima's as he nodded minutely. The bluenette took that as a win and smiled softly, pressing a soft kiss to Akira's cheek before telling him Sojiro wanted to talk to him too. That made the younger teen pout, unwilling to pull away, so Mishima had to first... As soon as they were separated, Akira pressed a gentle, loving kiss to Mishima's forehead (earning a dark blush) before heading outside to speak to Sojiro... Once he was out of sight, Mishima made a small, pained noise and flopped onto the nearest bar stool. Futaba giggled at that, earning a glare for her troubles, before she (surprisingly soberly) declared, "You know, Sojiro isn't the only one who'd hurt Akira if he hurt you. I would, for one. And probably Yusuke..."

Mishima blinked at that, eyes widening comically. Futaba snorted at his expression, but was quick to soften, her voice fond as she stated, "We would. Sure, you haven't been our friend as long as Akira, but we care about you... Not to say we wouldn't kick your ass if you hurt him, but, you know..."

Mishima huffed a small laugh, nodding in understanding before sobering up. He hesitated, glancing at Futaba and focusing on his hands before forcing himself to stutter out, "I... Do... I... Do you think A... Akira likes me as mu... much as I like him?"

"Pretty sure he likes you more, actually," Futaba replied, not looking up from her phone. Mishima couldn't help but make a small, shocked noise at that, which actually caught Futaba's attention. She looked up, examining him, before sighing and continuing, "He does. You don't see it because you have like, zero self-confidence, but he's been pinning for  _ ages... _ Seriously. It was painfully obvious that he had a thing for you back when you and I first met, but according to Ann, he's been into you since before everything with Kamoshida was even done with..."

Mishima gaped at her then. That... That was impossible. Akira... No. But... No. I mean, that wasn't possible, right? Back then, Mishima hadn't even had the chance to prove he was worth anything! Let alone worthy of Akira's affection! He... He'd still been so  _ weak _ and  _ useless _ and such a waste of space-

"Yuuki..." Futaba's voice suddenly came from right in front of the bluenette, making him flinch and reach for his knife. He stopped that at the last second, though, and forced himself to focus on the girl. She was frowning at him, clearly perturbed... For a moment, she hesitated, but eventually, she sighed and whispered, "I... You just said all of that aloud... I... Do you really think that?"

Mishima froze. He... Oh shit. He couldn't believe he'd said that out loud! He... He'd fucked up and now Futaba would hate him for being so weak and having his thoughts and being so fucking useless-

"Hey, hey, I don't hate you..." Futaba murmured, carefully, moving Mishima's good arm from where it had wrapped itself around his chest protectively. The older teen didn't believe her -  _ couldn't  _ believe her- something she picked up on easily... Futaba sighed, pulling Mishima into an awkward hug as she whispered, "It's okay to think like that, you know? I... I had thoughts like that for ages before I met Akira and the others... I still do, sometimes... And... I know it's not really going to help, but... You're not weak, okay? You've been through so much... But you survived. And that isn't weak... And you're not a waste of space. How can you be, when so many people care about you? And don't argue - Akira, your aunt, Yusuke, me... We all care about you. And so do the others, even if you aren't willing to accept that yet. We... You're so much more than you know, okay? S... So remember that I'm here, okay?"

Mishima felt his eyes sting as he hugged back, shoulders shaking as he cried. He... Fuck, he wasn't used to anyone being so  _ nice _ to him. Everyone had been so kind today and it was overwhelming and he didn't know how to react except to break down and-

The door suddenly opened, making Mishima tense. Futaba didn't let go of him, though, so he relaxed. She would have jumped to action if it was a threat... He couldn't see who it was, with his face hidden in Futaba's neck, but the voice he heard told him.

"Is... Is everything okay?" Akira asked, audibly concerned. Mishima panicked, unsure as to how he could lie his way out of this one, but Futaba spoke first.

"Oh, I just told Yuuki that you've had a crush on him since before everything with Kamoshida was sorted, and he figured that was impossible, so I gave him a load of encouragement and it kinda overwhelmed him..." she stated, shrugging. Mishima felt warm, happy that she'd left out the less... good details, so he managed to pull away, smiling shakily. He rubbed his face, cleaning up his tears as best he could, before focusing on Akira.

"I... I'm fine. Ju... Just... Too many emotions... In a short span of time... It... It's okay, though! I just...  _ Feelings, _ " he stuttered, his smile growing when Futaba moved away and Akira walked over, reaching up to cradle his cheeks delicately... Akira wiped away a couple of remaining tears as Mishima relaxed into his hands, all but melting as he shut his eyes... Akira didn't say anything, just pressed a soft, sweet kiss to Mishima's forehead before focusing on Futaba and telling her Sojiro was waiting outside. The ginger girl was quick to call out her goodbyes, and soon enough, Mishima and Akira were completely alone... As soon as it was just them, Mishima forced himself to open his eyes and smile slightly, whispering, "I... Thank you. F... For being so  _ nice _ to me..."

Akira rolled his eyes fondly, smiling back as he pressed his forehead to the bluenette's, murmuring, "It's what you deserve, Yuuki... You're amazing..."

Mishima blushed brightly at that, looking down as his mind helpfully supplied that Akira was lying... The younger teen clearly saw that he wasn't believed, sighing and letting go of Mishima's face. That made the bluenette tense, worried he'd messed up, but he soon found himself surrounded by Akira as the other teen hugged him tightly. It was... The action seemed desperate, almost... But that made no sense! What would make Akira feel that way? Was... Did Mishima do or say something-

"You have no idea how incredible you are, Yuuki..." Akira breathed, tone low and full of affection, "You mean so much to me... Futaba was right, when she said I... I've had a crush on you since before everything with  _ him _ was even sorted. You... Even then, you were so... different, to most people I know. You... You could have lost  _ everything _ , but you stood up to  _ him  _ after Suzui... You're so... You're honestly the best person I've ever met and I... I care about you so much..."

Mishima had no idea how to respond. He... He couldn't believe Akira, but he... he also knew that the other teen was saying what he truly thought... That made Mishima's eyes well up again, but this time he didn't cry. Rather, he reached around Akira with his good arm, clutching the back of his top desperately and burying his face in Akira's neck. He choked on his breath, trying to force down the emotions that flooded him, but he gave up on that battle as soon as Akira whispered, "It's okay, Yuuki. I've got you..."

Tears, hot and wet, streamed down Mishima's face, staining Akira's clothes as the shorter teen muttered, "I... Thank you... I... Shit... I don't deserve you-"

"You deserve the fucking world," Akira cut him off, tone completely no-nonsense. Mishima hiccuped, clinging even more. He didn't... He really didn't... But, God, he wanted to deserve Akira. He wanted to be worthy and good and special-

"You... Yuuki, surely you know how much I like you... I... You're amazing. You've been through so much but you're still here. You  _ are _ worthy and good and special... You're more than that, really. You mean so much to me..." Akira silenced him, voice full of  _ something _ Mishima couldn't describe. The blue teen hesitated before sighing and muttering a quiet 'okay' under his breath. He knew that he didn't completely agree with Akira, and the younger teen knew that too, but neither of them said anything. They both knew that Mishima had a long road to recovery ahead... So, instead, Akira spoke up, softly suggesting, "Let's watch a movie..."

Mishima nodded in agreement, letting Akira pull away. As the younger teen went upstairs to set the TV and couch up, Mishima quickly washed his face and took his meds, following as soon as he could. Once he was in Akira's room, though, he froze, making a small, wounded noise. Before him stood Akira. Shirtless. The pair stared at each other, spooked, until Mishima squeaked and turned around, already heading down the stairs as he called over his shoulder, "I... Ge... Get me when you're done! S... Sorry, I-"

"Wait! It... It's okay, Yuuki..." Akira stopped Mishima with a soft hand on his wrist, blushing brightly as he stuttered out, "I... I mean, we... We've changed in the same room before, r... right? So... There's no reason for us not to now."

Mishima hesitated before sighing and nodding. Akira was right... They both returned to Akira's room, separating just enough to get to their clothes. For a split-second, neither of them moved, both shy... Eventually, Mishima turned away from Akira, forcing himself to lean down and shimmy his jeans off. However, he froze when he heard a choked noise... He glanced at Akira, only to catch the tail-end of a dark, hungry look and a deep blush... Huffing, amused, Mishima returned to getting changed. His PJ pants were easy enough, but taking his top off and replacing it with his PJ one was... not so easy. Sighing, annoyed, the teen tried to force his top off, but he couldn't... A sudden breath brushing the back of his neck made him jump a mile, turning with his good arm up in a defensive position. The sight of Akira made him relax, although he did scowl a little and mutter, "Don't sneak up on me like that..."

"Sorry," Akira replied, smile and tone completely unapologetic, "I just wanted to help you with your top..."

Mishima blushed brightly at that. He... Sure, Akira had helped him before, but they were  _ together _ now, so it was different. Plus, Akira had said he wanted to take it slow, and Mishima's will-power and control were really starting to waver. He- 

Akira carefully grasping the bottom of his shirt made Mishima freeze. The taller teen seemed... hesitant and a little scared... Forcing down his concerns about his restraint, Mishima nodded slightly. Akira smiled at that, delicately helping Mishima out of his top...

Mishima couldn't help but hold his breath as Akira helped. The back of taller teen's knuckles brushed against Mishima's subtle abs, earning himself a sharp inhale... Akira glanced up at Mishima, curious, but the bluenette couldn't meet his eye. If he did... There was every chance his control would snap and he'd do something stupid (like kiss Akira). So. He didn't, ignoring Akira's heat and touch in favour of repeating several breathing exercises... At least, until Akira's knuckles brushed against one of his nipples. The sudden jolt of heat that sent through Mishima made him gasp as he blushed and hardened... He tried to pull away from Akira then, stuttering out apologies, "I... Shit, I... I'm sorry. You... You're just trying to help... I... I'm so sorry-"

"Yuuki..." Akira practically purred, silencing Mishima easily, "I... I'm the one who should apologise. You did nothing wrong. I insisted on helping you, even though I know that you like me se... sexually and even though I'm the one who said we should take things slowly..."

The affirmation that he hadn't upset Akira made Mishima relax, sighing softly but still not looking at his boyfriend... Akira sighed too, finishing with the top and dumping it on the sofa before whispering, "Yuuki... Did... Did I overstep?"

"N... No!" Mishima insisted, instantly meeting Akira's eyes as his hand flew up to grasp Akira's left one, "I... It's... God, you have no idea what you do to me, do you?"

Akira blinked, brow furrowing slightly, so Mishima took in a deep, shaky breath and stuttered out, "I... It's... I'm just trying not to lose con... control here, Akira... You...  _ Fuck _ , you have no id... idea what you do to me..."

For a moment, as Akira considered his words, Mishima worried. Maybe he'd over-stepped and Akira would be uncomfortable and-

"I... I'm sorry for teasing you, Yuuki..." Akira whispered, cupping Mishima's cheeks delicately, "I... Thank you... For controlling yourself. I just... I didn't realise I was affecting you so much..."

Mishima hesitated, breathing as evenly as he could, before muttering, "It... It's okay. But... Please, no more teasing."

Akira hummed in agreement, pressing his forehead to Mishima's. The bluenette sighed and shut his eyes, relaxing as he and Akira just breathed each other in... They remained there until Mishima was completely calm, when he pulled away. Akira whined, which made Mishima freeze. He... What? The blush dusting Akira's cheek told Mishima that he hadn't been hearing things... The bluenette ignored the heat that had burst in his gut at the sound, preferring to just smile softly and whisper, "Help me put my top on?"

Akira nodded quickly, pulling away only to reach around Mishima for his top. This time, Akira purposefully made sure he  _ didn't _ accidentally touch Mishima in any way, avoiding teasing him as much as possible... Mishima's heart warmed at the action, and he did his best to help Akira. As soon as the top was completely on, Akira's hands returned to their place on Mishima's cheeks. The bluenette hummed, pleased, and cupped his good hand over Akira's left one, smiling slightly and murmuring, "You wanna watch that movie now?"

Akira hummed in agreement, pulling away. As Akira grabbed his blanket from his bed, Mishima put his clothes in his bag and moved it off to the side, leaving it next to Akira's desk. They soon settled down on Akira's couch, getting as comfortable as they could. As the movie started to play, Mishima curled his arm around Akira, letting the taller teen lean into him and practically lie on him... The pair remained silent as they watched, although it was clear neither of them were paying much attention to the film. Mishima was too busy playing with Akira's hair, happy to just pet the strands (his hair was just as soft and fluffy as it looked!), and the younger teen was more than happy to just focus on the motions of Mishima's fingers...

As the movie drew to a close, Mishima felt a slight change in Akira. Glancing down, he was greeted by the most adorable sight ever... At some point, Morgana had moved from on Akira's bed and curled up on the bespectacled teen's lap and Akira had started to pet him, but now they were both fast asleep... Mishima couldn't help but smile. He had the best boyfriend ever... As the credits began to roll, Mishima was careful to nudge Morgana's head. The cat hissed slightly, but when he blinked his eyes open, he caught sight of Akira sleeping and started to purr. Mishima's smile grew at that, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he carefully nudged Morgana again, gesturing for the cat to get off of Akira. For a moment, it seemed like Morgana didn't want to move but he did eventually, headbutting Mishima's hand before leaping off of Akira and sauntering off somewhere. Once the cat was gone, Mishima focused on Akira. He didn't want to wake his sleeping boyfriend, but with his broken arm, he couldn't carry the other teen... Pouting and sighing, Mishima whispered, "Akira? C'mon, love. Let's get you to bed..."

Akira groaned in his sleep, nuzzling into Mishima's chest and tightening the hold he had around his boyfriend's waist. That made the bluenette blush brightly, but he ignored how his heart skipped a beat in favour of chuckling and speaking slightly louder, "Akira... Let me get you to your bed, okay? Then you can go back to sleep..."

Sleepily, Akira blinked his eyes open, squinting against the light in the room. However, once his eyes had adjusted, Akira smiled, slow and fond and adorable, reaching up and cupping Mishima's cheek as he whispered, "Are you an angel?"

Mishima blushed brightly, a small, pained noise leaving him without his consent. However, when Akira just continued to watch him with that same, loving expression, the bluenette forced himself to get it together and reply, stuttering out, "N... No, bu... but I am your boy... boyfriend, and I need you to go to bed..."

"I... Oh... How'd I get so lucky?" Akira murmured, still gazing at Mishima, half-asleep. The older teen's blush grew, but he ignored that in favour of rolling his eyes and muttering something about he was the lucky one. That drew a small blush from Akira, who turned his head and hid it in Mishima's chest. The bluenette chuckled at that, reaching up and clasping Akira's hand before speaking up.

"Can you get up for me, my love? Head over to your bed... Good..." as Akira did as he was instructed, Mishima gathered up his blanket, turned off the TV and flipped the light off before going to the bed too. For a moment, he hesitated, but he soon found himself being pulled down onto the bed with Akira. The pair giggled quietly, the sound loud in the silence of the night air, before shuffling into a comfortable position. Akira took off his glasses, leaving them on his shelves before pushing Mishima down onto the bed. The smaller teen blushed at that, a question on the tip of his tongue, but he was quickly silenced by Akira curling up on him, laying completely on top of him. A warm pair of arms encircled Mishima's waist as Akira tucked his head under his chin, but the bluenette didn't mind. Rather, he liked it... Humming softly, Mishima wrapped his good arm around Akira's shoulders, pulling him even closer, and whispered, "Night, sweetheart..."

Akira hummed too, and it didn't take long for him to drift back into sleep... As Akira's soft, even breaths filled the attic, Mishima considered. His life, the direction it had taken after Akira had come into it, how he liked the course he was on... He'd never felt this truly  _ happy _ ... He... he didn't know what to do. He was terrified he'd mess up or annoy Akira into leaving or-

Morgana meowing and jumping onto the bed distracted Mishima from his racing thoughts. Right, he needed to get some sleep. Especially if he wanted his plan for the next day to work... With one last, lingering glance at how the moonlight gave Akira an ethereal glow, Mishima shut his eyes, hoping sleep took him quickly...

-=-=-=-=-=-=

Mishima woke slowly, warm and comfortable... Languidly, he blinked his eyes open, smiling when he caught sight of Akira. The taller teen was practically draped over Mishima, his legs entangled with the bluenette's and his arms wrapped around the smaller teen's waist. It was... It was just adorable... But Mishima had a slight problem in the form of Akira (still asleep) rolling his hips against his groin. Which really,  _ really _ didn't help the heat glowing in Mishima's gut... The bluenette stifled a pained groan, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a shaky breath. Considering his options, he struggled to focus. Akira's heat and the friction he was creating was... distracting, to say the least, but Mishima had to move. If he didn't, he could maybe lose control... Thus, he decided to try to get away. Carefully, he tried to slip out from under Akira, but the taller teen tightened his grip, grumbling. The sound made Mishima freeze, but when Akira blearily blinked his eyes open (his hips still moving, which made Mishima want to cry) the smaller teen started to stutter, "Mo... Morning, Akira. I... Uh... Um..."

Akira didn't seem completely conscious, making a small, sleepy noise and still. Grinding. His. Fucking. Hips. Mishima almost growled, inhaling sharply when Akira ground even harder. That sound woke Akira up a little bit more and he finally stopped moving his hips, blushing when he realised what he was doing... He hesitated before pulling away, falling away from Mishima and onto the bed, rasping, "I... Shit, I'm sorry..."

Mishima instantly missed his warmth and the friction he'd been giving him, but he ignored that in favour of sitting up, blushing and using the blanket to cover his... issue (which was kinda futile, since Akira had already  _ felt  _ it, but he tried). Akira watched him closely, blushing too, but neither spoke for a long moment, both unsure... At least, until Akira sighed, running a tired hand through his hair and murmuring, "I... I'm really sorry, Yuuki... I didn't mean to push you or make you uncomfortable or upset you... Fuck, I messed up, I-"

"It... It's okay, Akira," Mishima cut his boyfriend off before he had the chance to go down that line of thought, "I... You were asleep. You... You didn't know what you were doing..."

When Akira continued to look distressed, Mishima forced himself to push his arousal down (not that that was to difficult. It was already going...) before turning so he and Akira were face to face. The taller teen looked down, visibly ashamed, so Mishima hesitated. He wanted to prove that he was okay, but he didn't want to push Akira... Ignoring his apprehension, Mishima reached out and cupped Akira's cheek, gently pulling his head up. Akira still wouldn't meet his eye, but Mishima didn't need him to... Instead, the bluenette leaned forward and up, pressing the sweetest kiss he could manage to Akira's forehead before whispering, "It's okay, Akira. Really..."

When Mishima pulled back (not completely, just enough to see Akira's face), his boyfriend seemed better. A lot better... So much better that he was able to playfully nudge his nose against Mishima's -which gave the bluenette a heart-attack because he felt Akira's breath across his lips- before murmuring, "Back to Akira, huh? What happened to 'love' and 'sweetheart', hmm?"

Mishima blushed brightly at that. He didn't even realise he'd let the pet names slip... What if Akira felt uncomfortable or something? What if he was angry? What if Mishima had messed up? His concern must have been visible on his face, because Akira chuckled breathily and whispered, "Don't worry, I like it... Babe."

A small squeak escaped Mishima at the pet name, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he ducked his head and fit it in the groove of Akira's shoulder. That earned him a fond giggle (a sound he wanted to bottle up and keep forever) as Akira carefully carded a hand through his hair. The action was soothing and Mishima found himself melting into it, humming quietly... Eventually, though, he was forced to pull away by his phone vibrating on Akira's shelf. The taller teen groaned (which made Mishima giggle softly) as his bluenette boyfriend left their embrace to check on his phone. One glance at the screen made Mishima sigh. He pouted and looked at Akira, shrugging as he muttered, "It's Sakamoto..."

Akira groaned at that, grabbing Mishima and pulling him onto his chest as he fell back onto the bed. Mishima released a small, surprised noise at the action, but he didn't bother fighting it. He didn't want to anyway... Instead, he let the call ring itself out as he burrowed in Akira's chest, curling his good arm around his boyfriend's waist and nuzzling into him. Akira was quick to return the affection, wrapping his arms around Mishima's shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to his hair... Of course, Mishima's phone began to ring again, earning a groan from Akira. Mishima sighed, pulling away just enough to lean over and grab his phone. When Akira pouted, Mishima chuckled, nudging his nose with his own before murmuring, "He'll just keep calling if I don't answer..."

Akira 'humphed' at that, but he didn't bother to argue as Mishima answered the call, settling back into Akira's chest as he greeted, "Hello, Sakamoto. I... I'm kind of busy right now..."

"Aww, really man?" Sakamoto sighed on the other end of the phone, his pout audible, "I was hoping you would come and work out with me! I'd ask Akira, but Futaba texted to say he was busy all of yesterday and all of today... I mean, how is the guy so busy? He can't just do  _ anything _ without risk, so what's he up to?"

Mishima opened his mouth to reply, but he quickly found his phone stolen from his hand and put on speaker before Akira told Sakamoto, "Yuuki and I are busy. What do you want?"

The bluntness in his tone surprised Mishima, but the way Sakamoto gasped said he was even more shocked... The blonde screeched, voice higher than Mishima had ever heard it as he exclaimed, "Holy shit! You slept together!"

Mishima and Akira glanced at each other, blushing brightly, before the former stuttered out, "I... If you mean in a completely n... non-sexual way, yes... yes, we did. But... But if you're implying we had s... sex, no, no we did not."

Sakamoto made a sound not too dissimilar to a dying bird as Akira chuckled, nuzzling Mishima's hair. The bluenette rolled his eyes, carefully swatting his boyfriend's chest, but was quickly distracted when Sakamoto yelled, "What the effin' hell? You two have so much sexual tension between you that it's killing me, but you still haven't effed? Even though you slept together? What the heck?"

Mishima couldn't help but giggle at that, rolling his eyes as he replied, "We're taking it slow... Not that you'd know anything about that, Sakamoto. I saw those bruises on your neck at school..."

Sakamoto squeaked, but the noise was drowned out by the way Akira laughed, a full-bellied thing that made Mishima's heart flutter. He'd never heard Akira laugh like that before... Clearly Sakamoto hadn't either, since he gasped and exclaimed, "Dude! Since when'd ya laugh so much?"

Akira shrugged before seemingly remembering that Sakamoto couldn't see him and stating, "I'm happy, Ryuji. Really happy..."

The way Akira sent him a meaningful look made Mishima blush. Was... Was he one of the reasons Akira was so happy? He... Akira smiled at him, kissing the top of his head, and Mishima got his answer. He smiled back, blushing even brighter but not hesitating to lean up and press a soft kiss to Akira's cheek. The couple were so caught up in each other they almost missed Sakamoto's reply... Almost. Mishima rolled his eyes as Sakamoto audibly grinned over the call and said, "Dude! That's awesome! You deserve to be happy! Both of you!"

The comment about both of them deserving happiness made Mishima wonder if Sakamoto had any idea about his insecurities, but the way he was quick to change the topic suggested he didn't...

"Anyway! I'll see if I can drag Yusuke to the gym or something! Have fun love birds!" Sakamoto ended the call without giving Akira or Mishima the chance to say goodbye... Instead, the couple shared a look before giggling simultaneously. Once their giggles died down, Mishima sat up (much to Akira's chagrin) and stretched. Akira didn't have any reason to complain then, humming slightly... Mishima glanced over his shoulder, blushing when he realised his stretch had made his shirt ride up and expose his lower back and the barest hint of ass (his trousers had slipped down at some point...) and that Akira was watching the tease of skin hungrily... It kinda reminded Mishima of when he first started to flirt with Akira... Sighing, the noise decidedly pleased, Mishima let his stretch fall before he looked at Akira over his shoulder, smirking just the tiniest bit.

"We should get up soon... It's nearly nine, and I have a plan for today..." the bluenette muttered, voice low and just on the edge of sultry, his smirk growing slightly when Akira's eyes flashed darkly. The taller teen pouted and reached up, trying to pull Mishima back into his chest, which made the blue teen laugh as he slipped away. Akira groaned, pout deepening, so Mishima took mercy on him, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek before pulling away and whispering, "Be good and get sorted, and I'll find a way to treat you..."

Akira blushed a little at the word 'good' (which made Mishima curious, but he didn't want to press), but that darkened when Mishima mentioned a treat... That made Mishima smirk as he turned away from Akira and walked over to his bag. Pulling out the clothes he'd packed for the day, his smirk grew even more. He knew that he and Akira had agreed to take things slow, but that didn't mean he didn't want to try to impress his boyfriend... With that in mind, he called over his shoulder as he sorted his clothes, "Get dressed, love, so we can have breakfast. Then I'll take you out..."

From his position, Mishima couldn't see Akira's reaction, but he did hear the small, wounded noise his boyfriend released when he tugged down his bed trouser... His smirk became a fully-fledged grin when he started to tug on his jeans. It wasn't the easiest of processes, since they were the tightest jeans he owned, but it worked eventually... Mishima glanced over his shoulder, only for his throat and mouth to dry instantly. Behind him, facing his way, was Akira, dressed in only his  _ unfairly tight  _ briefs... The taller teen noticed Mishima's attention and smirked, turning to his clothes and bending to pull on his trousers. And damn, that ass... Mishima forced himself to look away, gulping loudly in the quiet of the room, as he grabbed the belt he'd brought and did it up. Of course, now he needed help... Sighing, he looked over his shoulder, thankful that Akira was done with his jeans, before calling out, "Sweetheart? Could you help me change my top?"

Akira looked over as Mishima turned to face him, using his good arm to gesture at his top. Of course, Akira was still shirtless so Mishima had to suffer as the younger teen walked over, but he ignored his hormones in favour of stepping closer to Akira. Once they were close enough together, Akira gently grasped the edge of Mishima's top and paused. When the smaller teen nodded, Akira carefully helped him out of his top, purposefully grazing the back of his knuckles against Mishima's abs... The bluenette huffed at that, raising an eyebrow to tell his boyfriend that he wasn't being subtle. Once the top was clear of Mishima's form, the blue teen smirked slightly up at his boyfriend, stepping even closer and resting his hand on Akira's waist. That made the taller teen turn just the slightest bit pink, so Mishima smirked before leaning up, brushing his lips against Akira's cheek and breathing into his ear, "Thanks, my love..."

Surprisingly, that made Akira shiver, full-bodied and accompanied with a dark pink blush... Of course, Akira began to blush even more when he realised what he'd down, trying to pull away in shame, but Mishima didn't let him. Instead, the bluenette smiled fondly, moving to press a kiss to Akira's other cheek and whispering into his ear, "Help me put my other top on?"

Akira nodded, eyes wide as Mishima pulled away just enough to grab his top. This one was actually pretty easy to slip on, since it was just a simple navy button-up, but the way Akira had to reach around Mishima to get it on and the way he had to carefully do up the buttons made it seem more... intimate than any other time Akira had helped him... As soon as the top was on, however, Akira pulled away. For a split-second, Mishima was concerned that he'd pushed Akira too far, but then the taller teen did something surprising. He undid the top two buttons of Mishima's shirt and, after a deep breath, leaned down to press a soft kiss on the exposed skin. Mishima's breath caught at the action. He... Dammit, Akira was too attractive to just  _ do _ those things, unless he wanted Mishima to implode... Akira seemed to understand that Mishima's silence was a result of him being overwhelmed, so he smiled slightly and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Mishima forced himself to get together, smiling just the slightest bit, before muttering, "I'll go see if Boss needs any help with anything. You... Finish getting dressed."

Akira nodded, so Mishima hurried to put his socks and boots on, tossing his PJs into his bag before pressing another sweet kiss to Akira's cheek and heading down the stairs. Once in the cafe, Mishima smiled at Sojiro, who nodded in greeting before asking, "Is Akira up yet?"

"Yep!" Mishima replied, grinning as he sat at the bar. Sojiro raised an eyebrow at him, making some sort of comment about how he was happier than usual, which made the bluenette wince and shrink in on himself. Losing his smile, he muttered, "I... Sorry..."

"It's not a bad thing, kid, so you don't need to be sorry. I just hope you're not happy because you and Akira did...  _ that _ or anything," Sojiro stated, tone completely nonchalant. Mishima looked up at him, hesitant, but when he didn't see even the slightest hint of dishonesty from the older man, the teen smiled.

"I... No, we didn't do anything. I just... He makes me happy, that's all..." the bluenette muttered, earning a rare, soft smile from Sojiro, before changing the topic by asking, "A... Anyway, do you need help with anything?"

"Nah. Futaba will be here soon, though. Said something about wanting breakfast with you two..." Sojiro replied, so Mishima nodded and began to fiddle with his nails. He regretted not grabbing his knife from his bag, where he'd stored it the previous night... Ignoring his need to fidget was... difficult, especially because it was a need born from his anxiety over the date he had planned. What if Akira didn't like it? What if something went wrong? What if they ran into Akechi and the entire plan Akira and the others had created went up in smoke and-

"Here," Sojiro's sudden voice caught Mishima's attention, prompting him to look up. The older man looked vaguely uncomfortable as he held out a knife, handle towards Mishima, and muttered, "You look like you need something to mess with and you usually use your knife..."

Mishima blinked in surprise before smiling, taking the knife with a quiet thanks and quickly assessing it. Once he'd figured out the weight and shape, he began to twirl it between his fingers, instantly relaxing... As he did, he heard footsteps on the stairs and glanced over, beaming when he saw Akira. Only for his breath to catch. It seemed like Akira had changed from the jeans he'd been wearing into a pair of black, tighter ones that would have been identical to Mishima's if it weren't for the tears in the bluenette's pair... He was also wearing a plain white t-shirt that looked like it was painted on (seriously, the way that top emphasised Akira's muscles was... wow) and a simple pair of trainers, but it was what he carried on his shoulder that caught Mishima's attention -well, what little attention wasn't stuck on that fucking body... A supple-looking leather jacket hung from Akira's fingers, the dark blue of it a perfect contrast to the pale skin it rested against... Mishima's mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert as he checked his boyfriend out, something Akira picked up on, judging by his cot little smirk... As Akira walked over and dumped his jacket on the seat next to Mishima, the blue teen forced himself to swallow before greeting lowly, "Hey. You look good..."

Akira blushed as he sat down, clearly affected by both the compliment and the low, rough quality Mishima's voice had taken. The shorter teen felt a rush at being able to draw that kind of reaction from Akira, but he ignored it in favour of returning to his knife twirling and stating, "Boss said Futaba'll be here soon. She wants to have breakfast together."

Akira hummed in understanding, thanking Sojiro quietly when he put a plate of curry in front of both him and Mishima. The bluenette thanked Sojiro too, putting down his knife and tucking in with a smile. Honestly? Mishima was... surprised by how easy it was to trust Sojiro. For so long, the only adult he could trust was Kawakami, but now... There was just something about Sojiro that made him seem... like a good dad. No matter how Mishima looked at it, Sojiro was a good man... He-

"Hey!" Futaba called, rushing in and distracting Mishima. The trio at the bar smiled at the girl and echoed the greeting as she jumped onto the stool next to Mishima and began to chatter away, "Yuuki! Are you still keeping your date plan a secret?"

"Yep!" Mishima replied, smiling teasingly when both Futaba and Akira groaned. As the other two teens complained playfully, Mishima and Sojiro shared a look. Okay, maybe Mishima partially trusted Sojiro because they'd worked together to set up the date... Akira and Futaba picked up on the look, but Mishima spoke again before they could question it, turning to Futaba and asking, "Are you looking forward to spending the day with Takamaki?"

Futaba visibly hesitated, but she eventually started to ramble about her and Takamaki's plans. Apparently, they'd texted late into the night and had made a few changes... Mishima ate silently as he listened to Futaba, too nervous to talk. He couldn't help but circle back to his previous concerns, overthinking every detail again and again and again until he realised he'd finished his curry... Once the food was done with, he sipped on his coffee as he continued to worry. He didn't know if Akira would even like his plan or if it was weird for a first date (he and Yuuri hadn't been able to actual dates when together, so he actually had no idea what counted as a good date) or if he'd mess up-

"Mishima, could you wash up?" Sojiro said suddenly, catching Mishima's attention. The bluenette nodded, downing the last of his coffee before heading to the sink. He purposefully focused on the repetitive motions of washing up, slowly but surely calming down... 

By the time he was done, he was happy enough to send Sojiro a secret smile and turn to Akira, who was watching him (*cough* his butt *cough*), and asking, "You about ready to go?"

Akira nodded, muttering something about brushing his teeth first, so Mishima agreed and headed up to Akira's room quickly. There, he grabbed his jacket (which may or may not have been a black leather one he'd packed solely because it emphasised his muscles), his phone, his knife, his wash bag and Akira's phone too before heading downstairs. As he waited for Akira to get out of the bathroom, he quickly took his meds and slipped on his jacket (earning a playful wolf-whistle from Futaba) and made sure his phone was on full volume... As soon as Akira was done in the bathroom, Mishima stepped in and did his business. Once he was out, he found his heart stopping. The jacket Akira had left on his seat was now on him, and damn it looked good... Akira seemed to notice how Mishima was watching him and smirked, walking over and lowly asking, "See something you like?"

"Yeah," Mishima breathed without a thought, earning a blush from Akira (and seriously, he looked adorable...) and a few teasing remarks from Futaba and Sojiro. He ignored the latter two though, preferring to walk closer to Akira and get on his tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek, lingering for a moment before pulling away and, whilst still gazing at Akira, asking Sojiro, "I... Is it ready?"

Akira looked vaguely confused as Mishima pulled away and focused on Sojiro, beaming when the older pulled out a basket with a smile. Mishima took the basket, thanking Sojiro quietly, before checking the time. Right on time... His grin grew even more as he turned to Akira and all but purred, "Follow me, my love..."

Akira flushed at the endearment but did as he was told, and Mishima quickly led the way to a car that was waiting for them near-by... He beamed at Kawakami and Takemi as he and Akira slid into the back of the car (Akira first), greeting them with a bright, "Hello!"

"You seem excited..." Kawakami commented, eyeing the basket Mishima held in his lap as he reached out and took Akira's hand. That action made Takemi blink in surprise, huffing a small, amused laugh.

"I thought you two weren't actually dating?" she asked, watching closely as Mishima squeezed Akira's hand reassuringly before explaining that they'd feigned a relationship to get a guy to leave Mishima alone, only to eventually  _ actually _ get together. Takemi took the explanation with no more than an amused 'huh', and son the car was quiet as they drove... Akira kept glancing between them, confused, so Mishima caught his attention by squeezing his hand. Once Akira was looking at him, the blue teen smiled softly and spoke even softer.

"Aunt needed to come here for her date with Takemi, so she offered to drive us to our date spot too..." he explained, to which Akira nodded and relaxed. Mishima very much regretted that he'd left the middle seat empty, since he wanted to cuddle up to Akira, but he couldn't... Instead, he made do with squeezing his hand again and babbling about something from school. As he talked, Akira sent him the most breathtakingly fond smile ever and he almost stuttered... 

Once the car came to a stop where Mishima had previously asked Kawakami to drop him and Akira off, the bluenette beamed and hopped out of the car, thanking his aunt as he did.

"Have fun," Kawakami said, smiling fondly as Akira got out of the car and rounded the side so he could stand next to Mishima, who echoed the sentiment. With that, Kawakami and Takemi drove off... As soon as they were out of sight, Mishima focused on Akira, smiling shyly.

"I... Okay, can you hold the basket? I... I need to blindfold you, so it doesn't ruin the surprise, so I need my hand free to guide you..." he asked, smiling when Akira agreed easily. Passing the tallet teen the basket, Mishima pulled out a slip-on blind-fold (he couldn't tie a normal one, not with his arm still in a cast, unfortunately...). Carefully, he tugged it over Akira's eyes, adjusting it until it seemed to cover Akira's sight completely... Once Akira was blind, Mishima smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the edge of the blindfold before grasping Akira's free hand and stating, "It's this way..."

The pair were mostly quiet as they walked, the only sound that of Mishima's soft directions as he led Akira to his spot. Although, when he finally got there, it was more than perfect... Mishima sighed, carefully pushing Akira so he leaned against a tree and taking the basket with a fond whisper of, "Stay there a second, babe."

"I..." Akira hesitated, concern radiating off of him. Mishima paused from where he'd been pulling a blanket out of the basket, frowning before realising why Akira was distressed... Internally scolding himself, the bluenette spoke up.

"It's okay, Akira. I... I'm right here. I just need to set this up before you can see..." he stated, hurrying to complete his task. Akira agreed shakily, and as soon as he was done, Mishima was back next to him, voice soft as he murmured, "I'm gonna take the blindfold off now, okay?"

Akira nodded shakily, so Mishima quickly removed the blindfold, dropping it onto the blanket he'd set up and carefully cupping Akira's cheek, rubbing under his eyes softly and whispering, "Are you okay?"

"Ye... Yeah," Akira replied, melting into Mishima's touch and shutting his eyes, "Just... Don't leave me the next time you blindfold me..."

Mishima raised an eyebrow at that, unable to fight his smirk as he teased, "Next time, huh? Kinky..."

Akira blushed brightly at that, moving to hide his face in Mishima's hand without pulling away... The smaller teen blinked in surprise, heart fluttering and heat dancing in his gut at the revelation that Akira didn't seem opposed to that... Mishima reminded himself that they weren't there for that, taking a grounding breath before whispering, "Open your eyes for me, Akira. You might want to see this..."

Akira did as he was told (and that made  _ something _ in Mishima practically purr) without complaint, eyes widening when he saw their surroundings... They were in a small clearing of the closest woods, completely separated from the rest of the world. But the pretty trees and winter flowers weren't what caught Akira's attention... No, that honour was reserved for the stunning lake just a few metres away from them. The winter sun danced wonderfully along the glistening surface of the water, sparkling and breathtaking... As Akira examined their date spot, Mishima smiled fondly. Akira looked so damn pretty just then... Sighing dreamily, Mishima stepped closer, taking Akira's hand and pulling him carefully down, settling on the blanket he'd set up and murmuring, "I... I figured we could hang out here for a while, have a picnic, then catch a movie maybe? I... If you want to..."

"I... Yuuki..." Akira breathed, voice light and full of emotion as he finally looked down at his boyfriend, "I... You... This is amazing...  _ You're _ amazing..."

Mishima blushed at that but didn't argue for once. They were there for a date, after all... Instead, he smiled softly, bringing the hand he still held up to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to it as he whispered, "You deserve this and more, Akira..."

That earned him the adorable sight of Akira blushing brightly and hiding his face in his free hand. It was... surprising, that Mishima could draw such reactions from the usually unflappable Akira, but also amazing. He wanted to do it more... So, Mishima tried, smiling as fondly as he could as he let go of Akira's hand (not without pressing a lingering kiss to the back of it) and reached inside of his pocket. Now, here he became nervous, hesitating before forcing himself to gather his courage and pull out the small box he'd brought along. Akira's eyes widened at the box, a hint of uneasiness in his tone as he joked, "I thought we agreed to go slow? I don't think a proposal is slow, Yuuki..."

"I... No! This isn't a  _ proposal _ ," Mishima squeaked shaking his head and shoving the box into Akira's hand as he rambled, "I just... I saw it and thought of you and I figured you'd like it but if you don't that's okay and it's stupid oh God I'm sorry-"

"Hey," Akira cut him off with a soft, fond tone, "I was just joking. I'm sure I'll love it..."

Mishima hesitated, unsure, as Akira carefully opened the box. When he saw what it contained, his eyes widened and he smiled, carefully pulling the keychain. It was pretty simple, just a fake Phantom Thieves calling card on the front and an engraved message on the back... Akira's smile grew as he read the engraving aloud. "'To Kurusu Akira, you are a thief. You stole my heart and for that, you need to be punished. Your punishment? Being stuck with me. From, Mishima Yuuki.' I dunno Yuuki... Being stuck with you doesn't sound like much of a punishment. More of a prize, really..."

Mishima squeaked at that, but he didn't hide. Instead, he took the hand Akira offered him, squeezing it slightly and stuttering, "I... You're such a dork..."

"But I'm your dork," Akira replied, grinning as he referenced the conversation they'd had just after they agreed to start dating... Mishima agreed, beaming when Akira slipped his keychain into his pocket and stated, "I'll attach it to my bag when I get home... Although, I feel bad that I don't have a present for you..."

"You're my present," Mishima muttered without a thought, earning a blush and an embarrassed noise. He smirked, pulling Akira closer and letting go of his hand to cup his face, whispering, "You're amazing, Akira..."

"You're more amazing..." Akira murmured, reaching up and tucking a piece of hair behind Mishima's ear, leaning forward slightly. Mishima's breath caught, his eyes widening slightly. Was... Was Akira going to kiss him? Was he going to- A loud 'caw' shattered the moment, making the teens jump apart. When they both realised what had happened, they glanced at each other and began to laugh, giggling as the leaned into each other... Once their laughter had subsided, Akira pulled away just enough to smile at Mishima and kiss his cheek before asking, "So... Did you have something, in particular, you wanted to do, before it's time for the picnic?"

Mishima hesitated, shy, before sighing and grasping Akira's hand, tugging him to his feet and over to the lake. Once there, he hesitated again before sighing. Carefully, he sat down, kicking off his shoes and dunking his feet into the water. Akira copied, settling next to Mishima as the bluenette whispered, "I... To be honest, I just want to spend time with you. I... I've never taken anyone out on a date before, so I'm a little out of my depth..."

"That's okay," Akira reassured, squeezing Mishima's hand and laying his head on the bluenette's shoulder, "I've never been on a date before..."

Mishima hummed, relaxing, before softly suggesting, "Let's just stay here until we get hungry..."

Akira agreed, and soon enough they were happily chatting about anything under the sun, relaxed and at peace...

-=-=-=-=-=

Eventually, the teens did get hungry, so moved back to the blanket. Once they were settled, Mishima smiled and pulled out the food Sojiro had prepared for them (he hadn't included any curry because he knew that the boys would have breakfast and dinner at LeBlanc, so they needed at least one meal that wasn't curry). As the couple ate, Mishima leaned into Akira's right side, babbling between mouthfuls, "It just... I really like helping people, you know? So I kinda want to study psychology -I hate my dad, I really do, but the one good thing he did was let me read his books for work- but everyone in the field will have  _ expectations _ because of Dad, you know? Besides, I've always wanted to run a cafe, so that's an option... Maybe I could ask Boss for tips? If I ever get there, at least..."

"You'll get there, if you really want to..." Akira murmured, making Mishima's smile grow. He thanked the bespectacled teen before asking what Akira planned on doing. That made Akira hesitate, frowning, before his voice took on a... sadder quality as he sighed and stated, "Well, I'll have to go home after my probation ends... But as soon as I can, I want to move back here. There are a few pretty good places to continue my education..."

The reminder that Akira would have to go home eventually dampened Mishima's spirits, especially since he knew that Akira's family life wasn't... the best... The bluenette hesitated before an idea struck him. He gasped, smiling slightly as he suggested, "I... If you want to, you could find a way to stay here? Technically, you don't need to live with your parents -you will be seventeen by the time your probation ends- so you could stay here! If... If you want to..."

Akira blinked in surprise and seemed to consider it, humming and taking a bite of his rice before replying, "I... I  _ could _ , but there are so many obstacles in the way... My parents could insist that I go back, I don't know where I'd live, I'd have to sort out staying at school... I just... I'd  _ love _ to stay, but I..."

When Akira trailed off, visibly perturbed, Mishima carefully cupped his cheek, tilting his head until they were eye to eye and murmuring, "Hey, it's okay. You still have time... Besides, I'll be here, helping you, for as long as you'll have me..."

Akira relaxed at that, smiling and thanking Mishima softly. The bluenette said he had no reason to thank him, pressing his forehead to Akira's. For a long moment, they remained like that, eyes closed as they just basked in each other... Eventually, though, they had to finish eating. Once they were done, Mishima checked his phone, smiling slightly when he realised he had a text from Kawakami saying she was cool to pick him and Akira up whenever. He checked the time, calculating how long they had until their movie, before texting Kawakami and asking her to meet them where she'd dropped them off in half an hour. She agreed, so Mishima slipped his phone back into his pocket and spoke softly to Akira, stating, "Aunt's coming to pick us up and drive us to the Shibuya cinema in half an hour."

Akira hummed in agreement, starting to pack up everything. It took them about ten minutes, so they walked to where they were meeting Kawakami slowly, hand-in-hand... Akira held the basket in his right hand, his left one intertwined with Mishima's as the bluenette hummed. It was... peaceful, the quiet of the early afternoon air, so Mishima found himself slipping from humming to singing, voice soft and melodic as he sang an old American song he liked.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in," his voice carried in the quiet, surprising Akira, but Mishima didn't let himself feel self-conscious. He wanted to sing for Akira... So, he continued, finishing the song as they neared their meeting spot. Glancing at Akira, he found the taller teen openly gaping at him, which did make him self-conscious... Awkwardly, Mishima shrugged and muttered, "What? I... I'm not that bad, am I?"

"I... You're incredible..." Akira breathed, setting down the basket when they reached the meeting spot and moving his hands up to Mishima's cheeks, "I... Wow, Yuuki..."

Mishima blushed brightly, trying to hide his face, only for Akira to press their foreheads together and whisper, "You... You have no idea how much I like you."

That stole Mishima's breath away as he blushed even brighter. He...  _ Oh _ ... He liked hearing Akira say he liked him... He had no idea what to say, so he shut his eyes and gently nudged Akira's nose with his own, humming. Akira mirrored the action, lingering. He lingered so long it almost seemed like he wanted to kiss Mishima... The bluenette cracked his eyes open, trying to gauge Akira's expression, but he was promptly distracted by a car honking at them. The pair flew apart like they'd be burnt, Mishima reaching for his knife and glaring at the car that had honked. Of course, as soon as he recognised the car, he sighed and relaxed. He sent Kawakami an unimpressed look before grabbing the basket and leading Akira to the car. He let Akira get in first before sliding in after him, perching in the middle (ignoring how he hated not being closer to the nearest exit) and glaring at Kawakami through the mirror.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" the woman asked, tone teasing. Mishima flipped her off (earning an overdramatic gasp) before settling the basket on his lap, doing up his seatbelt and grasping Akira's hand. Kawakami watched fondly as Mishima laid his head on Akira's shoulder and almost melted when Akira rested his cheek against Mishima's hair. She shipped it... Forcing herself together, the woman smiled and started the car. The drive to the cinema was silent, and once Akira and Mishima were out of the car, Kawakami called, "Be good!"

Mishima flipped her off again, leaving the basket in her car, before tugging Akira to the cinema. They were quick to get their tickets, popcorn and drinks (Mishima tried to pay for it all, but Akira eventually convinced him to split the bill) before finding their seats. The room they were in was quiet, hardly anyone there to watch the movie. Which did make sense, it was an American b-movie that had been shown at the cinema countless times before... The couple settled quickly, the popcorn balanced on the arm between them as the trailers played. Mishima smiled slightly as he murmured, "You mentioned that you love horror comedies, and I know Sharknado isn't the most  _ horror _ of films, but it's funny, so if figured you'd like it..."

Akira hummed in understanding, grabbing a piece of popcorn as the movie began to play... Since he'd seen it before, Mishima didn't pay the film much attention, preferring to watch Akira's reactions. It was good to see the taller teen relax, laughing along to the crappy humour and CGI, jumping when the first shark appeared, frowning adorably when the characters were stuck in the house... God, Mishima loved Akira. He was so... He was just amazing. He was kind and funny and he  _ cared _ and he made Mishima feel special and he was just... He was just  _ Akira _ . There was no other way to describe him, he-

"Do I have something on my face?" Akira asked softly, drawing Mishima from his musings. The bluenette shook his head quickly, earning a confused and slightly worried look from his boyfriend, so he leaned over carefully and pressed a sweet kiss to Akira's cheek. That calmed the taller teen, so they both looked back to the movie... Mishima still didn't pay it much attention, preferring to glance at Akira every chance he got. And he wasn't the only one looking, seeing as his eyes and Akira's met several times... Eventually, the movie drew to a close, so Mishima and Akira gathered their things, chucked away their rubbish and went to the toilets before checking with Kawakami when she'd be ready to pick them up. She said she would probably take about an hour (something about traffic?), so Mishima sighed and pouted. That slowed down his plans for the end of the date... Noticing Mishima's pout, Akira quietly suggested, "Let's go to the diner... Or the arcade?"

Mishima hesitated before smiling at Akira, grasping his hand and silently pulling him towards the arcade. Thankfully, it was pretty empty, so they faced no issues... Except for the fact that Sakamoto and Yusuke were there, chatting away as Sakamoto tried to win Yusuke a prize on the claw machine... For a moment, Mishima considered turning around and leaving before either of the other teens could spot him and Akira, but that plan went down the drain as soon as Akira smiled and asked, "I know we're on a date, but... Would you like to talk to Yusuke and Ryuji? Just for a few minutes?"

"I... Sure!" Mishima agreed, ignoring how his mind supplied that Akira probably wanted to spend time with the others so they weren't alone any more... Akira was quick to grin, leading Mishima over to Sakamoto and Yusuke happily... Yusuke was the first to see them, smiling slightly as he poked Sakamoto and gestured towards them. Sakamoto caught on easily, beaming and waving just as Akira stopped in front of him.

"Hey! What're you guys up ta?" the blond asked, moving to the side so Yusuke could have a go at the claw machine. Mishima and Akira shared a glance before both looking back at Sakamoto, raising their joined hands to get the point across. Sakamoto got it after a second, nodding in understanding before exclaiming, "Nice! Yusuke and I are on a date too!"

"That we are," Yusuke agreed, smiling as he handed Sakamoto the stuffed kitten he'd won. The blond playfully complained about how he couldn't win anything and Mishima huffed. That earned him a raised eyebrow as Sakamoto asked if he thought he could do any better.

"I... might be able to," Mishima replied, letting go of Akira's hand (which earned him a pout from his boyfriend, but he kissed Akira's cheek to make up for it) before moving to the machine next to Yusuke. He pulled out some change, putting it in before focusing... Even though the game was obviously rigged, Mishima managed to get Akira an adorable (and surprisingly big) Shiba Inu teddy. At first, Akira tried to refuse the toy, claiming that Mishima had already treated him too much, but the bluenette forced it into Akira's arms and stated, "You deserve it, babe..."

Akira blushed brightly at that, but he didn't argue. Instead, he burrowed his face into his plushy, trying (and failing) to hide his blush... Mishima chuckled, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek before whispering, "You deserve the world, Akira... And, you're adorable."

As Mishima pulled away, Akira made a small, wounded noise, a sound that was covered by Sakamoto's awed, "Holy shit... Dude, I've never seen Akira blush like that! How'd you do it?"

Mishima shrugged, unsure himself, so Yusuke spoke up, looking away from where he'd been watching Sakamoto try to win something to state, "It could be related to the fact that Akira has feelings for him..."

Sakamoto made a small, understanding noise before groaning, "Dammit, these claw things suck!"

"If you want to win Yusuke something, you could just collect tickets from the other games and get him something..." Mishima suggested absentmindedly, too busy cuddling into Akira's side to pay Sakamoto much attention. That earned him an excited thanks from the blonde, but it was Akira's reaction that distracted Mishima... Akira had tensed, and one glance up at him told Mishima that he was thinking... Just as the bluenette was about to ask what was up, Akira looked down at him, eyes flashing determinedly (and damn, that was kinda hot) as he spoke lowly.

"I'm going to win you something," he declared, and Mishima found that he couldn't argue. Not when Akira's eyes were on him with that expression, all focused and insistent... So, soon enough, Mishima found himself and Yusuke stood side-by-side as they watched their boyfriends try to gather up enough tickets for good prizes. It was... Well, something about seeing Akira go to so much effort for him made Mishima's heart flutter, and the way he acted, all strength and determination and grace, certainly affected Mishima...

"How has your date been?" Yusuke asked quietly, catching Mishima's attention. The shorter bluenette hesitated, kinda shy, before sighing and speaking lowly.

"Amazing... We hung out at this spot I know earlier, had a picnic and watched a movie before coming here, and I still have something for us to do when we get back to Leblanc... What about you?" he replied, keeping his eyes on Akira. Yusuke murmured something about having just spent the day doing whatever Sakamoto wanted, but it being good, and they let the conversation trail off. Usually, Mishima would find being so quiet around someone awkward, but at that moment? He was happy to let the moment linger, comfortable in the knowledge that they were both too focused on their boyfriends to talk... Akira and Sakamoto seemed more than happy to get as many tickets as they could, chatting away as they did, and Mishima found himself smiling. Sure, some small part of him was thinking about when he thought Akira had a crush on Sakamoto (which reminded him, he was probably wrong about his assumption the night Akira had slept over when he was ill. The taller teen had probably been talking about  _ him _ ), but he knew that he was the one Akira wanted...

"Hey! Mishima!" a sudden voice called, catching the bluenette's attention. he tilted his head in confusion when Sakamoto gestured for him to walk over... He did eventually, sharing a confused look with Yusuke, and was rewarded by the blond beaming and exclaiming, "I bet I can beat you at this game!"

The declaration of challenge made Mishima look at the game Sakamoto meant. It was... Dance Dance Revolution? He blinked in surprise, double-checking that Sakamoto definitely meant that game before smirking. He asked Yusuke to hold Akira's teddy before focusing on Sakamoto and stating, "You're on."

Sakamoto beamed at him, and they both got into position. Akira and Yusuke stood to the side, curious, as the game booted up, but Mishima paid them no mind. He had a game to win...

And win he did, easily beating Sakamoto's score and ending up as top of the overall leaderboard. As the blond lamented his loss to his boyfriend (who had given Akira his teddy at some point), Mishima beamed at his. Akira smiled back, stepping in close to press a soft kiss to blue hair before murmuring, "You're amazing..."

Mishima blushed brightly, ducking his head shyly and mumbling something about how he wasn't. Akira sighed, tugging him in close and nuzzling his hair. Instantly, Mishima melted, curling his arm around Akira and whispering, "I really don't deserve you, love..."

"Pretty sure it's the other way around..." Akira murmured, practically curling around Mishima. The bluenette didn't try to argue, happy to just bask in Akira, but he eventually had to pull away... He did slowly, gathering the tickets he won before checking the time and pouting.

"Aunt should be here in less than ten minutes..." he muttered, pout deepening. Akira, though, smiled.

"I'll just play a couple more games to win you something, then we can go meet her?" he suggested, and Mishima agreed. As Akira went to play a couple more games, Yusuke walked over to Mishima and asked if he wanted to play DDR together. The smaller bluenette agreed and they played a couple of games (Yusuke was pretty good, but Mishima still wiped the floor with him), gathering up their tickets as they did, and soon enough, Mishima found he had plenty of tickets... He smiled slightly and turned to Yusuke.

"Let's cash in our tickets?" he suggested, and Yusuke agreed. As they walked over to the ticket booth, they ran into Akira and Sakamoto, who were both carrying something behind their backs... Mishima raised an eyebrow at them, curious, and asked, "So... What are you two hiding?"

Akira and Sakamoto shared a look before simultaneously pulling out what they were hiding. Mishima gasped, eyes widening when he saw what lay in Akira's arms... Akira held an amazingly detailed figure of Katsuki Yuuri, the Japanese figure skater who'd recently landed in second place at Figure Skating Grand Prix. He smiled, stepping closer to Mishima and holding the figure out, quietly murmuring, "You mentioned that you like figure skating..."

"I... Wow..." Mishima breathed, awe radiating off of him as he carefully took the figurine from Akira's hand. It was stunning... And probably cost more tickets than anything else. Mishima frowned, ready to say something about not deserving it, but was cut off.

"Don't even try to convince me you don't deserve it," Akira stated, smiling slightly, "You deserve so much  _ more _ than just a figurine..."

Mishima hesitated. He didn't believe Akira, but he knew the other teen would never let him say no... Instead of arguing, the bluenette smiled and leaned up, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Akira's cheek before murmuring, "Thank you... It's amazing."

Akira blushed slightly but smiled, shrugging and rubbing the back of his neck. He was just adorable... Mishima kissed his cheek again, pulling away and stating, "I need to cash in my tickets, then we need to meet with Aunt..."

Akira hummed in understanding, so Mishima handed him the figurine and headed to the booth. Once there, he examined the prizes available and, after a moments consideration, asked for one thing in particular... As soon as he had it hand, he thanked the woman at the booth and returned to Akira. The taller teen blinked in surprise at the gift in Mishima's hand, raising an eyebrow and asking, "A... Death Note notebook?"

Mishima shrugged, shy, and muttered something about how Akira had mentioned he liked Death Note once... Akira smiled at that, carefully taking the notebook and passing Mishima back his figurine. Silently, he leaned down and kissed Mishima's forehead, murmuring, "I like you so much..."

That earned him a small, wounded noise and he chuckled, pulling away just enough to call to Yusuke and Sakamoto, "We'll see you two some other time..."

"Sure! Sakamoto agreed, clearly happy to return to spending time with just his boyfriend, and Yusuke echoed the sentiment. Mishima smiled at them both, murmuring a quiet 'goodbye Yusuke, Sakamoto...'. Sakamoto beamed at him, declaring, "It's just Ryuji, man!"

Mishima paused, blinking in surprise, before smiling slightly and stating, "You can call me Yuuki, if you want..."

Saka- Ryuji agreed easily, so Mishima and Akira said their goodbyes quickly and headed out, finding Kawakami's car easily. As they slid in, careful of their prizes, the woman raised an eyebrow and commented, "Looks like you two had fun..."

"We went to the arcade," Mishima said by way of explanation, shrugging and settling his Katsuki figurine in his lap before intertwining his fingers with Akira, smiling as his boyfriend nuzzled his hair. Kawakami didn't say anything, rolling her eyes fondly as she started the car... Soon enough, they were pulling up near LeBlanc. Akira and Mishima got out (bringing their prizes and the basket they'd left in the car), thanking Kawakami. The older woman smiled, letting them go with just a playful warning to not get into any trouble. Mishima rolled his eyes and called over his shoulder as he walked, "We're not you, Aunt!"

Kawakami laughed as she drove away, the sound disappearing as Akira and Mishima walked into LeBlanc. Sojiro blinked in surprise at them, raising an eyebrow and stating, "You're back late..."

"Aunt had to pick us up from the movie an hour late. We went to the arcade to waste time while we waited for her," Mishima explained, smiling at Morgana when the cat ran up to him and Akira. Sojiro made an understanding noise, glancing at the food he was cooking before focusing on the teens.

"Take your stuff upstairs but leave the basket. I'll shout when dinner's done," he ordered, and Mishima easily agreed. However, he needed to take his meds before he could go... He told Akira as much, smiling when the bespectacled teen carried his figurine upstairs for him. As soon as Akira was out of earshot, Mishima turned to Sojiro, frowning.

"I... Is everything okay? I know we're late, that didn't mess it up or anything, did it? I-"

"It's all under control, kid," Sojiro cut him off, smiling slightly and passing Mishima his meds and a glass of water. As the teen took the drugs, Sojiro continued, "I've got it handled. Go chill. Do whatever you and Akira want to do... Within reason, of course."

Mishima blushed brightly at the implication, but didn't press. Instead, he nodded and smiled, passing Sojiro the glass back, thanking him and heading upstairs... Once there, he froze at what he saw. Akira. Curled up on his bed. Cuddling his Shiba Inu teddy. Morgana sat at his feet, unimpressed... It was just adorable, and Mishima found himself moving without his consent. His feet carried him over to the bed and he sat next to Morgana, petting the cat and murmuring, "You're too cute, Akira..."

Akira blushed brightly at that, covering his face with his teddy, and Mishima just about melted... He sighed dreamily, moving his hand from Morgana's fur (and earning a distinctly displeased hiss) to rub Akira's back soothingly. The taller teen relaxed at that, dissolving into a puddle of pleased hums and cuteness. Mishima's heart fluttered and he couldn't help but move, shuffling until he was right behind Akira and able to pet his hair. That earned him a satisfied sigh as Akira moved too, flopping his head back onto Mishima's lap in a silent plea for more affection. The bluenette chuckled, rolling his eyes at how obvious his boyfriend was but complying without complaint...

"I'm so lucky..." Akira murmured, seemingly not realising he'd said anything... Mishima reddened and echoed the sentiment, earning a soft pink blush from Akira and a small snort from Morgana (how did a cat even make that noise?). For a long moment, the trio just stayed like that, happy to bask in the silence, but eventually, Akira spoke up...

"You know we talked about what I could do after my probation ends?" he asked softly. Mishima felt a pang of pain at the reminder that Akira would probably have to leave in just a few short months, but he ignored that in favour of humming curiously. Akira seemed to hesitate before sitting up, dislodging Mishima's hand and sighing. For a moment, he looked lost... Mishima's heart ached and he wanted to reach out, to comfort Akira, but he knew the younger teen needed to say what he had to at his own pace... Akira visibly steeled himself before stuttering out, "I... I am going to do everything I can t... to stay here."

Mishima blinked, eyes widening, before smiling softly. He leaned over pressed a delicate kiss to Akira's cheek before whispering, "I'll support you no matter what you do, okay?"

With that, all of the tension Akira held melted away, replaced by a fondness that permeated his actions as he reached out and cupped Mishima's cheek. The bluenette tilted his head, pressing a soft kiss to the palm of Akira's hand and earning a bright blush from his boyfriend. Akira smiled, smoothing the creases on Mishima's forehead with his free hand, soft and loving and oh-so gentle... Thoughtlessly, Mishima shut his eyes, leaning into Akira's hand and murmuring, "You're amazing..."

"Same goes for you..." Akira muttered, leaning down and nudging Mishima's nose with his own. The bluenette didn't bother arguing, preferring to hum slightly. However, that noise became a small giggle when he felt Morgana headbutt his side lightly. He opened his eyes and looked down at the cat, who was somehow  _ pouting _ , before rolling his eyes.

"Morgana... Can we have some peace please?" he asked, but the cat just shook his head. Mishima sighed, playful, and adjusted how he was sat ever so slightly, extending his legs out. That left enough space for Morgana to lay on his legs, the cat stretching along the gap between his legs and purring. Mishima let the cat settle, distracted by the way Akira leaned against his side. As the trio got comfortable, Mishima couldn't help but smile. Just a few months back, he never would have imagined he could ever get this... He-

"Dinner's ready!" Sojiro called, his voice echoing up the stairs. Akira groaned, grumbling something about having only just gotten comfy, and Mishima giggled. He carefully nudged Morgana off of his lap (earning a small scratch and hiss, but nothing too bad) and slid away from Akira. The taller teen whined, only to blush and cover his mouth when he realised what noise he had made. The small sound made Mishima melt, prompting him to lean down and kiss Akira's forehead.

"C'mon, love. Let's go eat..." he whispered, smiling when Akira grumbled out an agreement and stood too. Quietly, they walked down the stairs, Mishima in front of Akira, and were greeted by the sight of Sojiro setting up their food. He nodded when he caught sight of them, smiling just the tiniest bit, and spoke up.

"Dessert's in the fridge. Help yourselves when you're ready, but don't forget to wash up and put away. And don't forget to call me before heading home, Mishima. I'll give you a lift..." he stated, tilting his hat slightly. Mishima beamed at him, nodding in agreement, but Akira frowned in confusion. He opened his mouth, ready to ask Sojiro where he was going probably, but the older man in question cut him off by explaining, "Futaba and I are having dinner together at home."

Akira didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue, nodding and murmuring a soft, "Have a good evening."

"You two too," Sojiro replied, ruffling both of their hair and heading off. As soon as he was gone, Mishima focused on Akira, smiling shyly and speaking softly.

"I... I hope this isn't too much. When... When I asked Boss to put together a picnic for us, he... he insisted that he make dinner and dessert too... S... Sorry if it's weird or you don't like it or-

"Yuuki," Akira cut him off, tone fond as he carefully reached across the booth and tangled his fingers with Mishima's, "I... It's okay. In fact, it's  _ amazing... _ you have no idea how wonderful you are..."

Mishima blushed at that, half-hiding his face in his shoulder, but he didn't let go of Akira's hand. Rather, he took a fortifying breath and stopped hiding before gently pulling Akira's hand up, pressing a soft kiss to each of his knuckles and murmuring, "You... You have no idea how much I like you..."

Akira blushed brightly, smiling as he tugged their hands closer to him, turning them slightly and copying what Mishima had done. It made the bluenette breathless... He had to pull his hand away to cover his face shyly, earning a chuckle from Akira as the younger teen stated, "We should eat."

Nodding, Mishima started to eat. The curry Sojiro had made was a little... different to most he made, a little on the sweeter side, slightly spicier and certainly creamier... It was really good and paired excellently with the coffee he had made. So, Mishima found himself really enjoying his meal as he asked, "Have... Have you enjoyed today?"

Akira nodded, mouth too full of food to speak, and Mishima smiled, settling into the silence... It was weird, that he was so comfortable with Akira's hush, but also... amazing. Mishima had gone so long associating quiet with the calm before the storm, but now? Now he could relax into it, let it wash over him without drowning, breath easier in it... He could bask in Akira's presence without the need to talk because he knew the other didn't expect him to prove himself... He-

"Hey, Yuuki?" Akira's voice pulled Mishima from his musings, prompting him to make an interested noise. For a long moment, Akira seemed... hesitant, but he eventually took a grounding breath and stuttered out, "I... You mean a lot to me. And... I... I don't want you to forget that, okay? You... You're incredible and I like you  _ so much _ that it... kinda scares me. But... I... But it also amazes me. Like you do... And I just... No matter what happens, even if I have to go back to my town, I want you to know that I... I care about you, and I don't want to lose you..."

Mishima's eyes widened at the admision but he smiled, putting down his cutlery to interlace his fingers with Akira's as he murmured, "You mean a lot to me too, Akira... And... You won't lose me, even if you have to go back, okay? I... I care too much about you to just  _ let you go _ , okay? I... I'll be here for as long as you'll have me..."

Akira relaxed at that, nodding and smiling slightly as he squeezed Mishima's hand. The bluenette squeezed back, quietly whispering, "I'm here for you, Akira..."

For a lengthy minute, they stayed like that, silently holding each other's hands, but eventually Akira untangled their fingers, muttering something about how they should finish eating. Mishima agreed, and soon enough, their plates and cups were empty. As soon as they were, Akira took them (ignoring Mishima's attempts to argue) and washed up, drying and putting away after saying, "Yuuki, you've already done so much today... The least I could do is this."

Once that was done, Akira opened the fridge, grabbing the tray Sojiro had left in there and two spoons before carrying it back to Mishima. He set it on the table before sitting next to Mishima, smiling and uncovering the food... They both blinked in surprise at the dessert. Yes, singular... The ice cream sundae looked delicious and was big enough for them both to share. Mishima hesitated before taking a spoon and gathering some of the whipped cream on the top, shyly holding out to Akira and murmuring, "E... Eat up..."

Akira blinked in surprise before smirking, gently holding Mishima's hand in place and taking the spoon into his mouth. He pulled away slowly, lips stretching around the spoon in a way that made Mishima's breath catch... As soon as the spoon was clean, Akira let go of Mishima's wrist, took the other spoon and picked up some chocolate ice cream, smirking just the tiniest bit as he held it to Mishima's lips. The bluenette blushed under Akira's intense gaze but didn't falter. Instead, he balanced his spoon on the ice cream and grasped Akira's hand, just over the spoon, and pulled it closer, letting his lips wrap around the ice cream slowly... Visibly, Akira's eyes darkened as Mishima pulled back, dragging the ice cream with him. However, he missed a little bit... Despite how embarrassed he felt, Mishima flicked his tongue out, licking the spoon clean. Instantly, Akira looked away, cheeks flushed and voice rough as he forced out, "I... Yuuki, you  _ tease _ ..."

Mishima smirked, shrugging and stating, "You like me really."

"I... Yeah, I do..." Akira replied, tone nothing short of soft as he looked back at Mishima. The bluenette instantly flushed, his lap becoming the most interesting thing in the world as he murmured something about how it was unfair for Akira to be so smooth. That drew a chuckle from the taller teen, who leaned forward and brushed his nose against Mishima's before muttering, "I have to make up for you being so unfairly cute somehow..."

Mishima couldn't help but squeak at that, hiding his head in Akira's shoulder as the other teen chuckled. For that rudeness, Mishima gently pinched Akira's side, earning a small gasp as Akira retaliated by reaching out and tickling under his knee. The smaller teen couldn't help but giggle, tickling Akira back. Soon enough, they were caught up in an all-out tickle war, which only ended when they heard the door to the cafe open... Mishima instantly reached for his knife, but didn't move. He did relax, though, when he realised it was just Sojiro. The older man paused just inside, raising an eyebrow and (seemingly without thought) asking, "Am I interrupting something?"

It was only then that Mishima realised the... position he and Akira were in. During their battle, they'd somehow shifted so Akira was on his back along the bench as Mishima straddled him. That, along with their flushed faces and heavy breathing, implied something a little more... sensual than what had actually happened... Mishima froze, eyes wide as he stuttered, "I... It's not... It's not what it looks like! We... We were having a t... tickle fight and... and nothing else! That... That's all!"

As the teens pulled apart, Mishima rushing to his feet as Akira slid across the bench so he was pressed against the wall, Sojiro continued to watch them silently... Once they were separated, Mishima tried again, explaining, "We... We didn't do anything! We just tickled each other and it got a bit out of hand and-"

"Kid, relax," Sojiro cut his babbling off, smiling slightly and shaking his head, "I know that you two weren't doing anything. There's too much sexual tension between you for that... " Mishima squawked at that, blushing and hiding his face in his good hand as Sojiro continued, "Although, I do still need to give you two  _ the talk _ at some point..."

Both teens blushed at that, squeaking shyly, so Sojiro chuckled and asked, "Anyway, are you ready to go soon, Mishima? It's getting late..."

The bluenette in question hesitated, biting his lip, before sighing and replying, "I... We need to finish our ice cream -thank you again, by the way- and I need to gather up my things, but then I will be..."

Sojiro hummed in understanding, moving to make himself a coffee. After a few awkward moments, Mishima sat back down, smiling shyly at Akira and picking up his spoon. In silence, the teens quickly demolished their ice cream, which only left Mishima with one thing to do... Sighing, he was fast to collect everything he had (making sure that his Katsuki Yuuri figurine was safe in his bag carefully) before stopping next to where Akira still sat. Just looking at his boyfriend made Mishima's heart squeeze with longing, but he shoved that down. Instead, he carefully pressed a soft kiss to Akira's forehead and murmured, "I'll text you when I get home, okay?"

Akira pouted but agreed, kissing Mishima's cheek and whispering, "Speak later, babe..."

As they were forced to part, Mishima sighed but forced himself to smile, for Akira's sake. It was time to return to the real world... Sighing again, the bluenette kissed Akira's head one more time before focusing on Sojiro and questioning, "Ready to go?"

The older man nodded, double-checking he had his keys before leading Mishima to his car. As they left, the teen sent Akira one last smile, but that dropped as soon as he was seated in the car... Sojiro picked up on that, frowning at Mishima through the back mirror as he started the car and asking, "You okay there, kid?"

"Just... You know. It's been fun, so it... it sucks that it has to come to an end..." the bluenette replied, unable to help it as his mind supplied that all good things come to an end so it was inevitable that Akira would eventually decide he didn't want him anymore and dump him and-

"Well, you guys will have other dates. Akira's probably already planning how he can surprise you on your next one..." Sojiro stated, startling a fond chuckle out of Mishima. He was probably right... The teen told him as much, which earned him an amused huff, but Sojiro was quick to sober up. He frowned, glancing between Mishima and the road before sighing and asking, "Was it really just tickling before I got there?"

Despite his blush and how he remembered Akira beneath him, flustered and breathless and way too damn attractive, Mishima declared, "Of course! We... Akira isn't ready to do anything..."

"So you are?" Sojiro guessed, and Mishima's bright blush gave him away. The older man made an interested noise, eyeing Mihima for a moment before stating, voice low and just the tiniest bit soft, "It's good. That you're not pushing him... But you need to think of yourself too. If he oversteps in any way..."

"We've already talked about that, and established that we're going to tell each other if that happens," Mishima spoke firmly, meeting Sojiro's eyes in the mirror, "Besides, he's... way too good at picking up on my emotions. I couldn't hide it if I were uncomfortable, even if I tried..."

That seemed to settle Sojiro, so the rest of the drive was completed in silence... Once they got to Mishima's, the teen got out of the car, calling a thanks out as he hurried into his home. Sojiro waited until he was in to pull away, which the teen was kind of thankful for... Of course, now he was home, Mishima was alone. Completely alone... After spending more than a day in the company of at least one other person nearly constantly, he felt the lack of others like it was a lost part of him... But he ignored that, flicking on his lights as he headed to his livingroom. Once there, he carefully emptied his bag, sorting it out and taking his clothes to the wash-basket in his laundry room before putting everything else away (and making sure his Katsuki figurine had pride of place on his mantel...). With that done, he made himself a cup of chamomile tea and texted Akira.

_ Me: Home safe xxx _

It didn't take long for Akira to reply, the text coming through just as Mishima settled onto his couch.

** Akira: Good. **

** Akira: Was Sojiro embarrassing? **

Mishima couldn't help but chuckle at that, typing out something about how Sojiro had just asked if they'd really been tickling each other and had told Mishima that his boundaries were important too (so what if he paraphrased? It was pretty much what Sojiro meant...) and sending it off. Within the minute, he had a reply...

** Akira: He's right. Your boundaries are important. **

Mishima blushed slightly at that, his heart skipping a beat, but didn't bother to argue. He was just happy Akira respected him like that... Smiling, he responded.

_ Me: Thank you love _

_ Me: I need to go to sleep :( _

** Akira: Awww **

** Akira: Speak tomorrow? **

_ Me: Of course! Goodnight love _

** Akira: Night babe xxx **

Mishima's blush darkened at the kisses, but he sent three of his own. As soon as that was done, he sighed, pouting to himself. He didn't want to sleep yet, but he had school... Sighing again, he headed to his room, putting his phone on charge and grabbing a towel. He hoped a shower would let him relax...

It did, in the end, and he soon found himself in bed, warm and comfortable and feeling... soft, for a lack of a better word. It was nice... Of course, his peace could only last so long, and he found his mind drifting to everything that had happened since he went to LeBlanc the previous day. It had been amazing... He couldn't help but wonder when it would all come crashing down. When Akira would realise he didn't want Mishima. When he would dump him and start dating someone else. When Akira would abandon him or hurt him or hate him, like everyone else... Thoughts racing, Mishima shoved his face into his pillow. No. He'd had an amazing time and Akira had straight-up said he liked him. So he had no reason to think otherwise. Except...

Except Akira was incredible. He deserved the world and so much more and Mishima wasn't good enough and he never would be... Akira could do a million times better, no matter what he said. Mishima was nothing, a nobody,  _ useless _ and he didn't deserve Akira and he'd  _ never be enough _ and he was a waste of space and Akira would probably get bored of him by the end of the year and he would dump him and hurt him and  _ leave _ and- 

A shrill ringing drove Mishima out of his mind, dragging his attention to his phone. Despite the fact that he just wanted to drown his sorrows in his pillow, the bluenette forced himself to grab his phone and answer it with a slightly shaky, "Mishima Yuuki speaking..."

"Hey, Yuuki..." Akira's hesitant voice came across the line. Instantly, Mishima was sat upright, frowning and considering all the possibilities as to what could be wrong. Did Akira already want to dump him? Or was he hurt? Or-

"I... I know this is weird and I'm probably being annoying and I'm really sorry about that, but... I... I tried to get to sleep and had a nightmare and I really needed to talk to you..." Akira rambled, changing Mishima's focus. He was okay... Taking a deep, grounding breath, Mishima replied.

"It's okay, love. You can call or text me whenever you need to, okay?" he murmured, keeping his tone soft and reassuring as he ignored how his mind was still screaming at him. He could handle his own insecurities some other time (although, the fact that Akira called  _ him _ after a nightmare quietened them a little anyway)...

"I... It's..." Akira trailed off, voice torn between scared and lost and hurt, but Mishima didn't press. He just made a small, comforting noise... Akira took a shaky breath before stuttering, "I... I dreamed that we were b... back  _ there _ and... and Akechi had said s... something that made you turn on me and... and you'd chosen to date  _ him _ ... But he ended up betraying you b... by hurting you right in front of me and he  _ killed _ you and I just... I... I needed t... to make sure you're okay and you don't hate me and... and you still like me..."

Mishima's heart ached at the thought of Akira even  _ considering  _ that he'd betray him, but he knew it wasn't the taller teen's fault. He was just scared... It was also kinda ironic that they were both susceptible to the same concerns... After a moment of hesitation, Mishima whispered, "It's okay, love. I get it... I don't want him, okay? I only like you. Only you. I don't hate you - I  _ can't _ hate you... And I'm okay. I'm alive. I'm not hurt. I care about  _ you _ . I'm dating  _ you _ . And I will for as long as you want me, okay?"

Akira didn't reply right away, but Mishima didn't mind. He knew Akira needed a moment... Although, when the sound of quiet sobs echoed over the call, Mishima found himself panicking and asking, "Akira? Are... Are you alright? Did I say something wrong? Did-"

"N... No! You didn't s... say anything wrong... I just... Too many e... emotions..." Akira cut him off, tone fond and soft, even through his tears... Mishima relaxed and hummed understandingly. For a long moment, the only sound was that of Akira's subsiding crying, but eventually he was calm enough to murmur, "I...  _ Thank you, Yuuki... _ I... I don't deserve you-"

"You deserve the world," Mishima cut him off, tone just on the edge of a snarl, "You're amazing and the best person I've ever met and too good for this fucking world, okay? You deserve more than you know. Don't  _ ever _ think otherwise."

For a long moment, Akira didn't speak, too shocked to do so... Eventually, though, he pulled himself together enough to breath out, "I... God, you're just... You're incredible, Yuuki...You just... You have no idea how you make me feel..."

Mishima blushed at that, heart skipping a beat as a soft smile tugged at his lips... Sweetly, without thought, he muttered, "If it's anything like how you make me feel, I think I have an idea..."

Akira chuckled at that, breathless, and Mishima melted at the sound. His boyfriend was adorable... Neither of them spoke for a while, happy to just listen to each other breathing and be comfortable in the knowledge that they were both  _ alive _ and  _ okay _ and  _ together _ ... The silence was broken just as Mishima was about to drop off to sleep, Akira's hesitant voice asking, "I... Why do you always make a point of us staying together for as long as  _ I  _ want to?

"Because you'll eventually leave me..." Mishima murmured without a thought, half asleep and not completely aware of his words... Although, he did realise what he'd said when Akira gasped.

"I... You think I'll leave you?" his tone was nothing short of hurt, and Mishima internally cursed himself. He'd already messed up...

"I... Akira, it's what people  _ do... _ " he sighed, staring up at his ceiling to ignore the memories that flashed to the forefront of his mind, "It... People say they care, then they use me or hurt me or leave me... Not that you'd do that on purpose! You're so much  _ nicer _ than most people are to me... But eventually, you'll get bored of me or stop liking me or I'll mess up and push you away... It may not happen soon, but it's inevitable...You... You'll stop wanting me sooner or later, Akira. I know that... I'm  _ prepared _ for that. It... It's just what people do..."

For a long moment, Akira seemed to process what Mishima had said, leaving the bluenette to stew in his thoughts. He hated that he'd told Akira all of that, but he knew it was true. It was only a matter of time... Akira would finally realise what a waste of space and time and air he is and will dump him for someone better and he'll have to pick up the pieces of his heart but he  _ knew _ that. He had  _ always  _ known that... He wasn't the kind of person people wanted for long, especially not people like  _ Akira _ , people who are amazing and deserve everything and could have anyone... He knew that eventually Akira would dump him and try to be his friend after but even that kind of relationship would dissolve and Mishima would be alone again and-

"I... Do... Do you want me to leave you?" Akira whispered, vulnerable and scared... Mishima's heart squeezed, but he knew they needed to have this conversation...

"Of course not," he stated, rubbing the bridge of his tiredly, "I just... It's what happens, Akira. I... I'm not the kind of person people  _ want _ for long. I... I'm clingy and annoying and have  _ way _ too many issues for people to deal with... I have trust issues and I either over-share or don't tell people enough and that  _ hurts _ them... I'm weak and  _ useless _ and a fucking nobody-"

"That's bullshit," Akira growled, cutting Mishima's self-depreciation off. The bluenette blinked in surprise before opening his mouth, ready to argue, but Akira beat him to it with a firm, "You have  _ no _ idea how much I like you. You're smart and brave enough to survive everything you've been through and even when you were kidnapped and  _ beaten _ , you didn't betray us - you didn't betray  _ me _ ... I... You're not weak or useless! If you were, you wouldn't be where you are. You survived Kamoshida-"

"Because I threw other people under the bus!" Mishima cried, curling in on himself and half-burying his face in his pillow, "Suzui tried to commit  _ suicide _ because of what he did, and  _ I _ was the one that sent her to him! I should have been the one on that roof, not her! But I'm too fucking  _ weak _ to do it! I-"

"You... You've considered suicide?" Akira asked softly, and Mishima froze. Oh god. Oh no. He'd told Akira that and he'd messed up and Akira would hate him and he was  _ so fucking useless _ and-

"I... Yuuki...  _ Fuck _ ..." Akira breathed, pain and anger and fear woven into his tone as his breath trembled, "I... Wh... When was the last time you... you thought about it?"

Mishima cringed, considering the last time he'd thought about it... When Akira pressed, the bluenette sighed and stuttered out in a small voice, "I... Just... I... The day after you su... supposedly committed suicide..."

Akira cursed under his breath, audibly hurt, and Mishima wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't. Now Akira knew, he'd want to dump Mishima and he'd hate him and-

"I... Fuck, Yuuki," Akira hissed, his distress obvious. Mishima ached for him but didn't speak. He couldn't risk saying anything else... Akira seemed to hesitate before murmuring, "I... I need you to promise you'll talk to me next time you want to commit su... next time you want to do  _ that _ or when you want to hurt yourself, okay?"

"I... Why?" Mishima asked, confused. Why wasn't Akira mad? Why wasn't he yelling? Or saying he wanted nothing to do with Mishima anymore? Or-

"Because I care about you! I... I need you to know that I  _ don't _ want to leave you and I want to be here for you, no matter what, and I will support you, even if your mind says you don't deserve it! I need you to promise me! I... You mean the world to me, Yuuki! I... I don't want to lose you..." Akira's voice shook with emotions, like he was on the edge of breaking down... Mishima didn't believe him - _ couldn't  _ believe him - but he hated when Akira was sad, especially when it was his fault... Taking a deep breath, the bluenette spoke softly...

"I... I promise..." he stuttered, barely audible. But Akira heard him...

"I... Yuuki, I'll  _ always _ be here for you, okay? I... I... You're amazing and brave and so incredible... You may not believe it, but I'm not going to leave you. Not as long as I can help it... S... So talk to me, okay? I know you find that hard, but  _ please _ ..." Akira practically begged at the end, and Mishima found himself agreeing without a thought. He didn't want to hurt Akira... With that said and done, Akira sighed and murmured, "I... Come to LeBlanc tomorrow after school... Please? I just... I really need to see you, face-to-face..."

"Of course," Mishima breathed. He didn't know if he was ready to see Akira after his... outburst, but he knew they needed to talk...

"Alright..." Akira whispered, voice soft, "I... It's late, but I don't want to end the call..."

"We can keep it going until we're both asleep..." Mishima suggested, already feeling the pull of sleep. His mind was racing, but he was so  _ drained _ that he needed to drift off... Akira agreed easily, and they both settled into silence... It didn't take long for Mishima to slip into unconsciousness, but as he did, he thought he heard a soft whisper...

"I love you, Yuuki..."


End file.
